Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Do Over?

-Keefe
The two teams that made the biggest moves at the deadline (I don’t count the Lakers stealing Gasol, because there was no dice rolling there, they just took all the chips), the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks both find themselves staring at an 0-2 deficit in Round 1 of the Playoffs. Was it worth it? Is it too early to tell? Let’s first look at the Suns.

They were in 1st place (38-10) in the West at the time they made their move to acquire the 36 year old Shaquille O’Neal, who has played over 45,000 minutes between regular and post season games. I predicted that they would not host a first round playoff series, as soon as they made the trade. I don’t care if Shawn Marion wanted out, he was playing fine, and with the make up of this year’s Western Conference they could have won with that team. Instead they just slowed their team down and actually got worse at defense.

Shaq was dismal in Game 1 vs. the Spurs putting up just 11 points and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes of a double OT loss. He came back stronger in Game 2 with a solid 19-14, but the bottom line is they find themselves going back to Arizona have to win 4 of the next 5 games. The Suns simply can not stop Tony Parker (26 & 32) and Manu Ginobili (24 & 29). You know who would look good in a Suns uniform right now? Shawn Marion. A guy who could guard Parker or Ginobili, but where could they find someone like that? Well if you watched the Heat games the last month, your guess on where Marion is as good as mine.

This trade looks awful. Sure Steve Kerr shook things up a little bit, shook them up enough to have the Suns bow out of the 1st round for the first time since they added Steve Nash in 04-05. I never understood the trade when it happened, and now it’s just proving me and many others right. A team with Nash, Bell, Hill (did he get hurt?!? Really?), Marion, and Amare would have been a top 4 seed and potentially made the NBA Finals. Now they will fail to even win a series. Can’t say I didn’t see it coming.

As for the Dallas Mavericks, they gave up a young point guard in Devin Harris, and apparently a chance to play with LeBron. (He said he was interested in Dallas when they had Harris). I liked this trade more than Phoenix’s, but it looks as though they will have the same results. Dirk isn’t tough, and Kidd is not the same (like Shaq). Chris Paul is just killing them and David West is mocking last year’s MVP.

Don’t be surprised if the league goes back to the way it was with teams too scared to pull major moves at the deadline. After watching the Suns and the Mavs clubs may think they’re better off with what they have. It’s too bad. Or maybe they’ll see what the Celtics and Lakers did, (find a bad small market team that wants to dump salary and will take youngsters and picks for franchise players) and we could still see some major names on the move.

Side note: Is anybody seeing what Chris Paul (averaging 33.5 and 13.5) and Dwight Howard (averaging 27-21) are doing in the playoffs so far? Good lord.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

NBA Awards 07-08

-Keefe

MVP


Chris Paul- (21.1 ppg., 11.6 apg., 2.7 spg., 4 rpg.)

What a year for the MVP debate. You can make a strong case for 4 different players this season. Besse gave you some solid reasons to pick Kobe, LeBron is putting up 30-8-7 playing alongside the likes of Wally World, and a very washed up Ben Wallace, and oh by the way KG has helped turn the Celtics from worst to first in the Eastern Conference, the single greatest season turnaround, and 66 wins, good enough for the 3rd most all time in that franchise’s storied history. With all of that said I’m still going with Chris Paul.

Paul led the league in assists, steals, and still put up over 21 a game. Think about that, he average more dimes than Steve Nash, and came away with more thefts than Ron Artest. If that’s not enough he got the New Orleans Hornets not only into the playoffs, but the #2 seed out West. In a division that had 4 50-game winners it was the Hornets finishing 1st, ahead of the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavericks. Unbelievable. Paul also made David West into an All-Star and reminded the world that Peja is deadly from behind the arc.

Four players all deserve this award. My vote (still working on getting a vote) would have to go to CP3. Great season in the NBA, great stories, great teams, great players, and he was the best.
Other candidates: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett

Defensive Player of the Year


Kevin Garnett

The individual numbers: defensive rebounds 7.4 (12th), blocks 1.25 (25th), steals 1.41 (18th). These stats alone may not warrant the D- Player of the Year award, but what KG brought to Boston can not be overlooked. He was not the only reason for this year’s turnaround in Boston, however, it started with him and his defensive intensity was infectious. The Celtics finished just behind the Pistons (0.2 points) to lead the league in points allowed per game. The C’s gave up an astonishing 90.3 ppg. One of the reasons for their 42 game improvement from a year ago is the defense. With the addition of KG the C’s allowed 9 fewer points a game from 06-07 to 07-08. Plus KG has to win something this year right?

Other candidates: Ron Artest, Josh Smith, Marcus Camby

6th Man


Manu Ginobili- (19.5 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 4.5 apg., 1.45 spg.)

He’s a 6th man? Technically, yes. In 74 games played this year he came off the bench 51 times. He played over 31 minutes a game, and led the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in scoring. This one could be unanimous.

Other candidates: None


Rookie of the Year

Kevin Durant- (20.3 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 2.4 apg.)
He was forced into an impossible situation this year in Seattle, and he made the most of it. Scored over 7.5 points more than any other rookie this season, while playing for a team where he was option 1-2-3. Sure his rebound numbers look low considering he was Mr. Double-Double his 1 season in Texas, but he played shooting guard the majority of the year compared to power forward in college. He will be a long time dominant scorer in this league.
Other candidates: Al Horford

All-NBA 1st Team

Chris Paul- (21.1 ppg., 11.6 apg., 2.7 spg., 4 rpg.)
Kobe Bryant- (28.3 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 5.4 apg., 1.8 spg.)
Kevin Garnett- (18.8 ppg., 9.2 rpg., 3.4 apg., 1.4 spg.)
LeBron James- (30 ppg., 7.9 rpg., 7.2 apg., 1.8 spg.)
Dwight Howard- (20.7 ppg., 14.2 rpg., 2.2 bpg., 60% FG)

-The first 4 guys are no brainers. The C spot will be up for grabs with the likes of Howard, Amare, and Duncan. I give big Dwight the edge here for his monster numbers, and doing it with the worst point guard in basketball.


All-NBA 2nd Team

Amare Stoudemire- (25.2 ppg., 9.1 rpg., 2.1 bpg., 59% FG)
Paul Pierce- (19.6 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 4.5 apg., 1.2 spg.)
Tracy McGrady- (21.6 ppg., 5.2 rpg., 5.9 apg.)
Steve Nash- (16.9 ppg., 11.1 apg., 50% FG, 47% 3FG)
Deron Williams- (18.8 ppg., 10.5 apg., 3 rpg., 50% FG)

-Pierce deserves a lot more credit for the C’s success than he’s getting. Amare has been an absolute force since the addition of Shaq. T-Mac kept the Rockets in the playoffs without Yao. Nash and D-Williams had great seasons and still finished as the 2nd and 3rd best point guards in basketball.


All-NBA 3rd Team

Carlos Boozer- (21.1 ppg., 10.4 rpg., 2.9 apg., 55% FG)
Allen Iverson- (26.4 ppg., 7.1 apg., 1.95 spg.)
Tim Duncan- (19.3 ppg., 11.3 rpg., 1.9 bpg.)
Antawn Jamison- (21.4 ppg., 10.2 rpg., 1.3 spg.)
Manu Ginobili- (19.5 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 4.5 apg., 1.45 spg.)

-Duncan will probably be higher than 3rd team, but this is how I see it, along with his teammate Manu. Jamison and Boozer are 20-10 guys on winning teams, and AI continues to amaze.

Honorable Mention

Baron Davis- (21.8 ppg., 7.6 apg., 4.7 rpg., 2.3 spg.)
Carmelo Anthony- (25.7 ppg., 7.4 rpg., 3.4 apg., 1.1 BAC)
Dirk Nowitzki- (23.6 ppg., 8.6 rpg., 3.5 apg.)
Hedo Turkoglu- (19.5 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 5 apg.)
Stephen Jackson- (20.1 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 4.1 apg.)


All Rookie 1st Team

Kevin Durant- (20.3 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 2.4 apg.)
Al Horford- (10.1 ppg., 9.7 rpg.)
Luis Scola- (10.3 ppg., 6.4 rpg.)
Al Thornton- (12.7 ppg., 4.5 rpg.)
Carl Landry- (8.1 ppg., 4.9 rpg.)

Monday, April 14, 2008

And the NBA MVP is...

-Besse

The Lebron James NBA MVP award:

Lebron James – James should never be a candidate for MVP because he’s such an easy choice. The rest of the Cleveland squad sucks – aside from Zydrunas Ilguaskas, maybe. During the 2008 season, James has missed six games. In those six games, the Cavaliers went a sterling 0-6, losing by an average of 17 points including a 109-74 laugher at Detroit.

James is like Tommy Rodrigues to me: the larger-than-life, better than everyone else 12-year old that we all knew in Little League. The kid whose team won the league championship only because he threw a shutout every game and hit a homerun everytime he got up. He was so big, so intimidating and so good that you cringed everytime he threw a ball or swung a bat. You couldn’t beat him – at the plate or on the mound – so you’re only chance was to contain him. That’s more or less what NBA teams do when they face the Cavs. You hope and pray that Lebron doesn’t go off on one of his 40 point spectacles. In games where he dropped 40 or more, the Cavs were 6-1. The only loss was a 104-99 defeat to the Nets in which New Jersey scored 38 in the first quarter and had to hold off 14 fourth-quarter points from the King.

But that’s what this guy does. Bill Simmons alluded to it in referencing “The LeBron James ‘Don't Help Me Up, I Don't Even Want To Look At You Because You Suck So Much, I Can't Believe We're On The Same Team’ Face” that he must give to teammates during every game. The guy is not just the only great NBA player on his team, but the only good player. If Lebron wasn’t on the Cavs, they’d be so bad they wouldn’t just miss the playoffs, but they might miss the lottery.

The Boston Park League used to have a rule where every year the worst team in the league got kicked out and they pulled the best team from the Yawkey League; a big-league call-up, of sorts. But needless to say, it was pretty embarrassing if you finished with the worst record and got the boot. That’s what the NBA would have to do if Lebron ever went down for the season or left Cleveland. And yet in five NBA season with Lebron, the Cavs have finished below .500 once (his rookie year), notched 50 wins twice, are on the verge of a 3rd straight post-season appearance and have lost in the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals the last two seasons. Oh and the two years they didn’t make the playoffs? They missed out by one game in ’03-’04 and lost a tiebreaker in ’04-’05.

So for James, who is averaging nearly 27/7/7 per game over his career, let’s just give him his own MVP award and let the rest of the guys battle it out for one available to the rest of the league.

As far as 2008, he’s averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists per game while carrying a team of nobodies to the playoffs for the 3rd straight year. The Cavs will most likely be the 4th seed and host Washington, which would be even more intriguing if Gilbert Arenas hadn’t missed most of the season. There’s nothing better than watching two guys go back and forth scoring as if forgetting there are eight other guys on the floor. The Cavaliers will be a tough match-up for anyone in the playoffs solely because of James. And god forbid, if anyone else happens to resemble a legitimate NBA player they could seemingly go pretty deep into the playoffs.

The actual 2008 NBA MVP award

The serious candidates:

These guys garner the most attention, having truly played MVP-type seasons in their own way.

Kobe Bryant – While an MVP award is based on what a player has done over the course of the season, one can argue that most winners or worthy candidates make their case in the final slew of regular season games as his/her team makes a final push towards the playoffs. That’s what Kobe and the Lakers have done this April. This is a team that was written off by everyone at the beginning of the season amid talks that Kobe would undoubtedly be traded to Chicago or anyone else that would get him out of L.A. Instead, Kobe has averaged 28.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. In April, the Lakers are 6-1 and have won 7 of their last 8 games dating back to March 30. The late push has them one win away from clinching the top spot in the ever-close Western Conference.

While Bryant hasn’t had to do it with a cast of losers like Lebron, the addition of Pau Gasol was more an answer to the loss of Andrew Bynum. You can argue that the Lakers have gotten great play from a supporting cast of Gasol, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher, but the bottom line is Kobe has stepped up and taken a true leadership role. This is a guy who asked to be shipped out of there, and yet he’s put that behind him and embraced this team while leading it to the top of the uber-talented Western Conference.

Kevin Garnett – “The Big Ticket” has been outstanding, averaging 19 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. His biggest contribution isn’t an individual statistic but rather a team one, helping the C’s hold opponents to only 90.2 ppg. And his presence has opened up opportunities for Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Rajon Rondo. They’ve all stepped up to the challenge and the Celtics have accomplished the greatest season turnaround in NBA history.

The knock on Garnett’s candidacy is that Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are the other members of the “Big Three.” Pierce has led the Celtics in scoring in 9 of the last 10 years and Allen is averaging almost 18 ppg. It’s the same type of issue a guy like David Ortiz might have when Manny Ramirez is batting right behind you in the lineup. How can you give an MVP to one guy when a couple teammates, especially Pierce, is just as invaluable as he is? It’s a fair argument and while Pierce hasn’t had a season that will garner him any MVP attention, thus stealing votes from Garnett, it certainly won’t help his cause.

Chris Paul – Paul is undoubtedly the heir apparent to the likes of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, and he’s putting up numbers much like Isiah Thomas and Kevin Johnson did throughout their NBA careers. He’s averaging 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game. He’s the type of players that makes everyone else on the court better. Tyson Chandler and David West are perfect examples of this, having seen their season averages dramatically improve since playing alongside Paul the last three seasons. West, in particular, has made the jump from “Who is David West?” to “Yo, I picked up David West for my fantasy team!”

The Hornets, much like the Pistons, have one of the deeper pools of talent in its starting lineup and rotation, but this offense could not function without Paul in it. While it’s a small sample, Paul missed two games this season and the Hornets scored an average of 85 ppg in his absence. They’re averaging over 100 ppg in ’08. Again, it’s a small sample, but it shows the kind of effect Paul has on how well the offense runs. And while his 2.7 steals per game aren’t slowing down opponents’ 95 ppg, it shows just how well-rounded a player he is. This guy should get serious consideration.

The perennial candidates:

It’s almost a free pass for these guys, having reached a point where every year you could more or less make a compelling case to some extent.

Tim Duncan – A model of consistency, Duncan has averaged almost 22 points and 12 rebounds over his 11-year career. This year, he’s scored over 19 points and grabbed more than 11 boards per game. His numbers are down slightly if you even want to call it that, but that’s because Manu Ginobli is scoring 5 more ppg than his career average and taken some of the pressure off the big guy. That being said, you may ask why Ginobli wouldn’t get consideration since he’s also averaging a full assist more per game this season. But let’s face it: Duncan is the reason the Spurs will contend for a title every year and there are too many guards who are more worthy of the award than Ginobli.

Steve Nash – For me, personally, he re-established the importance of the point guard position and gave reason to follow it closely. This guy has made the position a spectacle to watch. Closed passing lanes become open; bad passes become good ones; and lock-down defenses become sieves when Nash takes the floor. He’s biblical in a way. The Moses of the NBA. When you breakdown point guards of the new generation, you compare them to the likes of Nash and Kidd. It’s the ability to make everyone else on the court better, not just with mediocre talent but with a roster full of egos, as well. Nash doesn’t just do it, he teaches it. Others emulate it, or at least try to, and he personifies the true meaning of a point guard. He’s the owner of six all-star game appearances and two MVP’s and Nash has flourished in Phoenix under the run-and-gun system. This season has been no different and with the offense beginning to mesh with Stoudemaire and Shaq, the Suns could finally jump that hurdle.

Also receiving recognition

These players also had terrific years, but there’s too much going against them to warrant any serious, legitimate campaigns for MVP.

Amare Stoudemaire – He’s averaging 25 ppg which is five points higher than his career average. I don’t think Shaq was too far off when mentioning him in the same breath as other MVP candidates like Paul, Kobe and Lebron. But in my opinion, anyone on a team with Steve Nash should never win an MVP, plain and simple. While Stoudemaire could have impressive, All-Star seasons on other teams with other point guards, he’ll only have numbers like this when he’s with Nash. And if another guy is the reason you’re better than good, you don’t any awards, he does.

Dwight Howard – Sorry, Dwight, but Hedo Turkoglu’s breakout season ruins any chance of you winning this award. That and you finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference, which is like placing in the JV wrestling tournament in high school, which I did. While it was a nice accomplishment, I was almost ashamed. Who the hell wants to wrestle in the JV tournament anyway? That’s what teams like the Celtics and Pistons must feel like right now - almost embarrassed that they have to play in the East. So you dominate everyone else and then get ready for the Varsity games. But give credit to Howard, whose Superman dunk was a microcosm of the type of season he’s had just dunking on anyone and everyone. His 21 points and 14 boards a game are legit and he’s doing it with Jameer Nelson as the point guard. It’s like a high school team relying on a JV point guard to run the show. The coach basically tells him to pass the ball to the good players and don’t dribble, shoot or pass any more than you need to.

Tracy McGrady – Sure, the 22-game winning streak was a nice story, especially since it was done without the services of key big man Yao Ming. But what bothers me is how mediocre the team was before both the streak and Ming’s injury. Case in point, the Rockets will finish in 5th or 6th despite the 22 consecutive wins. As competitive as the West is, that should have separated them from the pack, not helped them catch up to it. But McGrady has had another solid season, scoring 22 ppg and dishing out over 5 dimes per night. The scoring is down a bit, but the Rockets have shown considerable depth and several guys, such as Alston, Scola, Landry and Battier have all played well in filling the gap left by Ming.

Dirk Nowitski – Nowitski is averaging 23.8 points and almost 4 assists and 9 rebounds per game, but the Mavericks have been a bit of a disappointment. Dirk’s numbers aren’t much different than those of his MVP season last year, but he’s not shooting as well especially from beyond the arc and Dallas has such a deep crop of scorers that while Dirk is still the most valuable member of his team, he’s not the most valuable of the league.

And the winner is…

Lebron James would be my MVP choice. The Cavaliers supporting cast is D-league material and that city should count its blessing every night. But the choice of Lebron seems so easy that I expect the voters to completely overlook him and focus on Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant. And since I’ve chosen to honor King James with the MVP award that also happens to be his namesake, I’ll narrow my choice down to Paul and Bryant, as well. I’m going with Bryant here.

This will be the closest MVP race ever because you can make a solid case for four guys: James, Bryant, Paul and Garnett. And while Chris Paul falls into the Steve Nash category of making everyone better, Kobe has taken a tumultuous situation and made it work. The Lakers were counted out before the season and surprised everyone with a hot start. But after Bynum went down, it was seen as the beginning of the end for this sudden renaissance. Then the Lakers went out and literally stole Pau Gasol from Memphis. And while you can argue that Kobe has had a solid supporting cast all season, you also need to recognize that he has never wavered. Despite the off-season trade rumors, his desire to leave L.A., the Bynum injury and everything else over the course of the season, Bryant has kept this team steady and ready. His numbers are what they always are, and he’s second in scoring only to King James. But more importantly, the wins are there and the Lakers are on the verge of the top seed in the West. Paul and Co. have had a tremendous season and will likely finish 2nd by a game, but the bottom line is the Lakers have done so much more than expected. And they have Kobe and his newfound leadership ability to thank for it.

-Besse

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Best Point Guards of the Last Quarter Century

-Keefe

Who are the top point guards from the past 25 years? I never saw Bob Cousy or Oscar Robertson play, so why try to compare them to those I did see. The Top 10 separated themselves from the rest of the pack fairly easily; I also included 5 Honorable Mention selections, with two of them ready to crack the list following a couple more good seasons, especially my pick for the MVP this season, Chris Paul. If you disagree with any of my picks let me know, and let the debate begin. These are, in my eyes, the best point guards of my lifetime.

Honorable Mentions:

Chris Paul: Knocking on the door, should be on this list, and jumping over most of the names if he keeps his play at this insane level. Just too soon to put him up there right now.

Deron Williams: Only Paul is playing better than him this year at the position. But let’s wait for him to make an All-Star team before putting him in the same class as this distinguished group.

Gilbert Arenas: Certainly scores more than any other point guard on this list (career 22.9 ppg), and he definitely qualifies as a PG unlike Allen Iverson in my opinion. At 26, and with 3 All-Star games under his belt, time will tell if he can make his teammates better and achieve team success like all great floor generals.

Penny Hardaway: Without question was on his way to being on this list. Made more All-NBA 1st Teams (2) than the players I selected 7-10, but had really only 3 very good seasons. Trailed off dramatically and even Lil Penny can’t help him crack the top 10.

Baron Davis: If healthy this guy would have to be on this list. The 5 years prior to this season Davis could not stay on the court. When he was on he was great. Everyone saw the performance against the Mavs last year, and that’s one reason I hope the Warriors make the playoffs again.

With the exception of Penny the other 4 point guards all have a chance to surpass the bottom portion of this Top 10. Many of these guys are still playing making it difficult to truly compare their careers. But let’s get it going in reverse order.


10. Chauncey Billups:
3- time All-Star, Finals MVP (1), All-NBA 2nd Team (1), 3rd Team (1), All Defensive 2nd Team (2), NBA Titles (1).

Career Averages: 14.8 points, 5.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1 steal
Top 10 in MVP vote (1)

Mr. Big Shot has been a staple for the solid and consistent Detroit Pistons. Good thing the Celtics gave him a chance to play point. His defense combined with his scoring ability has him on the list for now, but Paul, Williams, and Arenas could pass him by the time its all said and done.

9. Mark Price: 4- time All-Star, All-NBA 1st Team (1), 3rd Team (3),

Career Averages: 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (4)
Best Free Throw Shooter in NBA History: 90.4%

Don’t put Price on the free throw line, shot over 90% for his career. Who knows how much he would have won if he didn’t have to play against Isiah’s Pistons and Jordan’s Bulls.

8. Kevin Johnson:
3- time All-Star, All-NBA 2nd Team (4), 3rd Team (1).

Career Averages: 17.9 points, 9.1 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (2)

KJ is definitely underrated when discussing best point guards of all time. A career 18-9 guy coupled with his dunk on Hakeem, he has a place on my list.

7. Tim Hardaway: 5- time All-Star, All-NBA 1st Team (1), 2nd Team (3), 3rd Team (1).

Career Averages: 17.7 points, 8.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (3)

His homosexual comments brought him back into the headlines, but during his playing days his killer crossover got all the attention. Could score and set up teammates, and like Price and KJ they might have been looking up at the man guarding them, but always left them picking up their jock.

6. Jason Kidd: 9- time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA 1st Team (5), 2nd Team (1), All-NBA Defensive 1st Team (4), 2nd Team (5), All-Rookie 1st Team.

Career Averages: 14.2 points, 9.2 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 2 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (5)

Maybe should be higher on this list. The Top 6 are head and shoulders above the rest. A triple- double waiting to happen every time he’s on the court. A championship has eluded him, he wasn’t going to get it with the Nets, and now he may not even get a chance with the Mavs. Still one of the best I’ve ever seen.


5. Steve Nash: 6- time All-Star, MVP (2), All-NBA 1st Team (3), 3rd Team (2).

Career Averages: 14.3 points, 7.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 0.8 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (3)

The hardest guy to rank, is 5 to high or to low? Can’t play defense, but he’s the only guy on the list to win the MVP not named Magic. It’s hard to say Kidd hasn’t had a better career, but Nash won 2 straight (should have been 3 straight) MVP awards. I’ll give him the nod here.


4. Gary Payton: 9- time All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year (1), All-NBA 1st Team (2), 2nd Team (5), 3rd Team (2), All-NBA Defensive 1st Team (9), All-Rookie 2nd Team, NBA Titles (1).

Career Averages: 16.3 points, 6.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (8)

The last 3 or 4 years has hurt the Glove’s legacy. People forget just how great he was in Seattle. 9 times 1st team all defense? He was defensive player of the year, in a season where he put up close to 20 points and 7.5 assists a night. I almost want to put him higher, but these 3 guys aren’t going anywhere.


3. John Stockton: 10- time All-Star, All-Star Game MVP (1), All-NBA 1st Team (2), 2nd Team (6), 3rd Team (3), All-NBA Defensive 2nd Team (5).

Career Averages: 13.1 points, 10.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (5)
All-Time leader in assists and steals

Everyone runs the pick-and-roll and everyone wants to run it like Stockton. Also to have more assists and steals than anyone else in the history of the NBA is just astonishing, not to mention, along with Magic, the point guards for the Dream Team. Next stop for Stockton is the Hall of Fame in Springfield.


2. Isiah Thomas: 12- time All-Star, Finals MVP (1), All-Star Game MVP (2), All-NBA 1st Team (3), 2nd Team (2), All-Rookie 1st Team, NBA Titles (2), Hall of Fame.

Career Averages: 19.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (4)

His post playing career has been, in a word; awful. But he won’t be penalized for that on this countdown. Isiah was simply incredible with the ball in his hands. Plus give him credit for snatching up 2 titles sandwiched around Bird, Magic, and Jordan. Maybe if he never got involved with the CBA or the Knicks people would still be talking about him on the court and not off.

1. Magic Johnson: 12- time All-Star, MVP (3), Finals MVP (3), All-Star Game MVP (2), All-NBA 1st Team (9), 2nd Team (1), All-Rookie 1st Team, NBA Titles (5), Hall of Fame.

Career Averages: 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals
Top 10 in MVP vote (10, 9 top 3 finishes)

Doesn’t matter if this list is the best point guards of the last 25 years or 125 years your winner is going to be Magic. 3 MVP awards, 5 NBA titles, and less than 3 rebounds shy of averaging a career triple double. He was more than just a point guard, but when he was running the show there was no one better. (Unless it was the Magic Hour). He and Isiah are both already in the Hall, and I expect many of the other names on this list to join them as well.

Friday, April 4, 2008

UFC Rankings (4/4/08)

-KeefeHere are my new updated rankings for the start of April. I waited for the Fight Night that certainly altered both the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions. Coming up on April 19th, the rankings will be changed once again with great match ups including St. Pierre vs. Serra and Rich Franklin vs. Travis Lutter. These are the top 10 fighters in each weight class in the UFC as I see them right now.

Heavyweight:

1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Tim Sylvia
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Fabricio Werdum
6. Brandon Vera
7. Frank Mir
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Heath Herring
10. Cheick Kongo


Light Heavyweight:

1. Quinton Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
4. Chuck Liddell
5. Keith Jardine
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Lyoto Machida
8. Wanderlei Silva
9. Tito Ortiz
10. Thiago Silva


Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nathan Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Travis Lutter
7. Chris Leben
8. Patrick Cote
9. Jason MacDonald
10. Nathan Quarry


Welterweight:

1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Matt Serra
3. Jon Fitch
4. Matt Hughes
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Diego Sanchez
7. Marcus Davis
8. Karo Parisyan
9. Thiago Alves
10. Mike Swick


Lightweight:

1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Tyson Griffin
7. Clay Guida
8. Spencer Fisher
9. Nate Diaz
10. Frankie Edgar

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

2008 MLB Predictions Galore

-Besse & Keefe

The baseball season really snuck up on Besse and myself, so our predictions are a few days late. I mean there were games in March. The Celtics were pushing for the playoffs, the NCAA tournament was going on, then all of a sudden its time for baseball. Well wait no further, here are the official 2008 predictions from the Sports Brief, division by division as well as the most important awards. Feel free to leave comments with your own choices.


AL East
Besse- Red Sox
I like the Red Sox to hold off what will be a tough division for once. Once Beckett is healthy, the rotation will strengthen and with Papelbon at the back end of the rotation, they won’t lose many games late. The offense is virtually the same here, and I expect a big year from Manny Ramirez. The Yankees will contend, as will the Blue Jays. Some quiet moves by the Blue Jays and people are overlooking them again. The Rays will be a surprise to many. Their staff isn’t uber-talented, but it’s deep and the lineup is young, fast and exciting.

Keefe- Red Sox
The Red Sox will win back to back division titles for the first time since 1915-1916. It’s been that long, so it won’t be easy. With Schilling out for likely the season, Dice-K and Lester will have to pitch like #2 and #3 and not walk the house and get pulled after 5. I think Dice-K will certainly improve from last year, not as much as Beckett did in year two in Boston, but improve nonetheless. Manny will have a monster year and force the Sox to pick up his club option for next year. Yankees will of course challenge followed by the Jays, Rays (out of the basement) and O’s.

AL Central
Besse- Tigers
This will be the best offense in the game. The addition of Miguel Cabrera is tremendous, but I question the pitching staff. Verlander will compete for the Cy Young, but Bonderman has yet to see the other side of the hill, and Rogers, Willis and Robertson are all good, but each has question marks. The bullpen, meanwhile, is scary at the back end, especially without a bonafide closer and Zumaya on the shelf for now. Look for them to hit their way to the postseason and then flop.


Keefe- Tigers
I really like what the Tigers did in the off season picking up one of the best players in baseball in Miguel Cabrera and a guy in Willis who won’t have to be the ace and should return to form from a couple seasons ago. Once they’re all healthy they can trot out a lineup with Granderson, Renteria, Sheffield, Magglio, Cabrera, Guillen, Pudge, Polanco, and Jones. Seriously? The Indians being unable to sign C.C. will hurt them this year, and the rest of the division will be looking up on Detroit all year.

AL West
Besse- Mariners
My surprise team of 2008. Erik Bedard just made this pitching staff scary. If he and King Felix pitch to potential, this is the scariest one-two punch in the game. With a deep staff (Miguel Batista is the 5th starter) and JJ Putz closing games, I like this team’s chances in a punching judy division. Richie Sexson will bust out and while I’m at it, so will Adrian Beltre. The Angels are facing serious question marks in the rotation due to injury, and there’s not much in terms of offense.


Keefe- Mariners
I’m not quite as high on Seattle as Bess is but I still like them to win the West. Bedard will be in the hunt for the Cy Young as will Putz. Even though they had to give up Adam Jones in the deal you have to like the trade for the Mariners. With guys like Ichiro, Sexson, and Beltre they need to win soon. Most people are picking the Angels, but with Lackey missing at least a month and Escobar out for the season, they will be one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Oakland and Texas also play in this division.

Wild Card

Besse- Indians
The Indians aren’t much different from a year ago, although one can assume the ALCS experience furthered the maturation process of guys like Sabathia and Carmona. This is a talented pitching staff from top to bottom, although Joe Borowski is a bit shaky at the back end. The lineup isn’t scary, but it’s no pushover, either. They’ll give the Tigers a run but eventually settle for a wild-card birth and a 1st round match up, and rematch, with the Red Sox.

Keefe- Yankees
The Yankees will be your American League Wild Card team for the second year in a row. There are question marks all over their pitching staff, but reigning MVP Alex Rodriguez alone can get this team into the post season. And with a payroll of over $209 million, that’s 70+ million more than 2nd place, they better get in the playoffs, no excuses. The Indians will be right there and maybe even the Blue Jays if they remain healthy.

ALDS

Besse Picks:
Mariners over Tigers
Red Sox over Indians

Keefe Picks:
Red Sox over Mariners
Tigers over Yankees

ALCS

Besse Picks:
Red Sox over Mariners

Keefe Picks:
Tigers over Red Sox

NL East

Besse- Mets
This may be the best team in baseball. The pitching staff is solid 4-deep led by perennial Cy-Young candidate Johan Santana. Billy Wagner rarely missteps in closing games and David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran lead an offense that will be potent all season long. It won’t be as dangerous as the division rival Phillies, but it will certainly punish the lack of pitching on that Philadelphia staff.

Keefe- Braves
Mets and Phills are getting all the attention, but I like the Braves to surprise them both. Smoltz, Glavine, and Hudson have already played their best baseball, however they still have something left in the tank. Mark Teixeira will have a monster year. In 54 games last year with Atlanta he had 56 RBIs along with 17 HRs and he hit .317. They lost Andruw Jones and Edgar Renteria from last year’s team, but Jones struggled big time. Chipper, Francoeur, McCann (maybe the best hitting catcher), and Kelly Johnson will provide enough offense to get the job done.

NL Central
Besse- Cubs
I love the depth of this division. I don’t think the Brewers have enough starting pitching, nor a closer, to keep up with the Cubs, but they’ll be exciting to watch. That’s a young team that needs a few more pieces to climb over the hump. I like the Cubs offense a lot, and the addition of Fukudome isn’t getting enough attention. The wildcard here is Kerry Wood and whether or not he can make the transition to closer. Carlos Marmol is in the wings, but Lou Pinella would be better served with Marmol setting up Wood in the 8th.

Keefe- Cubs
No team here really separates themselves from the pack. I’m taking the Cubs because of Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee, and Alfonso Soriano. Kerry Wood scares me as the closer, but not enough to pick the Brewers, Reds, Astros, Cardinals, or Pirates. Look for the winner of the NL Central to have the fewest wins of any division winner. The Brew Crew will contend just because of the mashers in the lineup, but why the hell did they spend all that money on Gagne and let Cordero go? They don’t deserve to make the playoffs after that.

NL West

Besse- Dodgers
That’s right, I’m doing it. This will be a close race all season long, but the emergence of Chad Billingsley, James Loney, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, along with the magic of Joe Torre in that dugout will bring the Dodgers to the top of this division. I think it’ll happen on the last day of the season, too. The Diamondbacks have solid pitching with the addition of Dan Haren and Brandon Webb as the ace, but can Brandon Lyon duplicate 47 saves by Jose Valverde a year ago? And the Rockies overachieved, plain and simple. The Padres don’t have enough offensive firepower to support Jake Peavy and Chris Young, and the Giants suck.

Keefe- Diamondbacks
I’ll take Arizona to win the west. With respect to C.C. and Carmona, Bedard and Felix, Peavy and Young, Beckett and Dice-K, the D-Backs have best 1-2 punch in all of baseball with Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. The lineup is horrible, but check out the rest of the NL West. The Dodgers and Rockies will be there, as all three of these teams can rack up wins over the Padres (when Peavy isn’t pitching) and the Giants.

Wildcard

Besse- Braves
I initially wanted to go with the Braves here, but it seems like there are too many good teams out west for the Wildcard not to come out of there. But that will be the downfall of that division. It’s so good and so deep, that with four teams who all seem to be playoff caliber clubs, we likely won’t see a 90-game winner out of there. You can make a case for the Padres and Diamondbacks based on the pitching, but I’m not convinced their lineups will suffice. Which brings me back to the Braves: Smoltz, Hudson, Glavine and possibly a rejuvenated, healthy Mike Hampton. Rafael Soriano is unproven as a legitimate closer, but he’s got good stuff. The lineup is solid with Teixeira, Jones and Francoeur, and with Bobby Cox at the helm, I like this pick.

Keefe- Mets
I didn’t have the Mets winning their division, but it’d be crazy to say they miss out on the playoffs once again this year. That collapse from last season won’t happen this year with Johan Santana going every fifth day. He will be right there for Cy Young, (shocker), but the rest of the staff, including Pedro who left his first start early, won’t allow for the Mets to run and hide in the East. With the steady play of the Braves, who can out manage just bout anyone, particularly the Mets they win the division. Fighting the Mets will be the Brewers, Dodgers, and Rockies. I think the Phillies will struggle this year despite having 3 of the best players in baseball.

NLDS

Besse Picks:
Mets over Dodgers
Cubs over Braves

Keefe Picks:
Braves over Cubs
Mets over Diamondbacks

NLCS

Besse Picks:
Cubs over Mets

Keefe Picks:
Braves over Mets

World Series

Besse Picks:
Cubs over Red Sox – Kerry Wood strikes out David Ortiz to end 100 years of frustration.

Keefe Picks:
Tigers over Braves

Individual Awards:
Cy Young

Besse- AL: Erik Bedard
Besse- NL: Jake Peavy

Keefe- AL: Justin Verlander
Keefe- NL: Jake Peavy

MVP

Besse- AL: Manny Ramirez
Besse- NL: David Wright


Keefe- AL: Manny Ramirez
Keefe- AL: Mark Teixeira

Rookie of the Year

Besse- AL: Joba Chamberlain
Besse- NL: Kosuke Fukudome

Keefe- AL: Jacoby Ellsbury
Keefe- NL: Justin Upton