Week 2 Rewind
Week 2 of the 2008 NFL Season brought an assortment of entertaining, controversial and competitive games. Here are a few that stood out to me.
Apology Accepted?
Once again, NBA Officials have involved themselves in the outcome of an important game. This time, it was Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the Lakers. And the fallout was huge.
The Clock strikes Midnight
The Davidson Wildcats lost to the Kansas Jayhawks, 59-57,on Sunday but that in no way takes away from an amazing season by this basketball team.Read all of The Clock strikes Midnight
Hansbrough "Hype"
The Individual Awards for North Carolina All-American, Tyler Hansbrough, continue to pile up. Some in the media have questioned whether or not he is "over exposed". But for Hansbrough and the TarHeels, they are focused on a National Championship after a disappointing loss in the NCAA Tournament to Georgetown.Let the Madness Begin
It's hard to believe, but it is now March and College Basketball is winding it's way to the postseason. It has already been a mad season, but March Madness could be something special this year. During a year in which Mike Krzyzewski won his 800th game and his mentor, Bobby Knight, stepped down during the season, I look for a very dramatic post season.
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All In!!
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, must have been fit to be tied watching the Western rival Lakers and Suns upgrade their rosters recently. Not to be outdone, he is trying to pull a huge one himself by bringing Jason Kidd back to the city where his NBA career started. The trade is being held up by Devean George, but if it is worked out, the Dallas Mavericks will make themselves serious players this season by giving up a big piece of the future and maximize their chances of winning an NBA title in the immediate future.
The Rich get Richer
It has been conventionally accepted that the Western Conference of the NBA has been superior to the Eastern Conference recently. The events of the last couple of weeks certainly only strengthen that theory. The addition of Pau Gasol to the Lakers and Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns send a warning shot over the hull of the San Antonio Spurs that those teams expect to make a run at a title.
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Duked!!
In reading the most current Sports Illustrated, I found a nice article on the NBA Developmental League which has become a nice minor league for the Association. One name popped out at me and that was Josh McRoberts. McRoberts left Duke early and was a 2nd round pick of the Portland Trailblazers. McRoberts has wound up in the "D" League trying to work his way into the NBA. And reading further, it didn't surprise me to find that he has kept his attitude that he carried as a Blue Devil. By all accounts, McRoberts divided the Duke locker room and helped send the Blue Devils on a downward spiral last season. Playing for the Idaho Stampede, he apparently recently scowled at head coach Bryan Gates upon receiving instruction and playing out of control. Here is another example of a young man who perceives that he is at a higher level of development than he is. Judging by the attitude towards his coach, he must feel insulted by being offered advice by a head coach in a "developmental" league, which is designed by definition to "develop" a player. One year removed from "developing" his game under Mike Krzyzewski, arguably the best coach in college basketball, McRoberts chose to leave early and may be on a path such as William Avery or if he is lucky, Shavlik Randolph. Avery left early and was out of the league three years later and Randolph is holding on for dear life with a whopping career average 2.6 points and rebounds a game. Both clearly left college too early. And while I may be picking on Duke (which is very easy for me to do), the developmental league is littered with players who came out early to chase the money and are wasting precious time that they could have used to develop their game in college and would have been much more valuable come NBA draft day. When are these guys going to learn? When will they wake up and look at the examples in front of them and maybe more importantly when will these guys be told by coaches that they not only need to stay in school, but should? No one knows the answer to that. Since so many of these guys leave early for the money, maybe it should be explained in simple math. Would you rather leave early and get a nice check for a very short period of time, or would you rather stay in school develop your game and find yourself in the league with a decent salary for a long period of time with a chance to better your game and salary? Unfortunately, a lot of these kids would still take the quick fix and enter the draft even though they arent ready and find themselves out of the game all together a few years later. It's sad that these guys have the talent that just needs to be nurtured and dont have the patience to let it develop. There are literally thousands of college players who arent talented enough to play in the NBA, but for this small minority of players who do have the skill but not the smarts, it is sad to watch them waste their opportunity
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Built for a Title?
The Detroit Tigers have been busy this off season acquiring heavyweights such as Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Edgar Renteria, and Jacque Jones. It appears they may have put together a lineup formidable enough to compete with the likes of the Boston Red Sox in the American League.Read all of Built for a Title?
Surviving the Times
Think of any major sports night excluding the Super Bowl and I would match it up head to head with any mega fight. Boxing is not what it once was, but at its best-the sport still can demand and attract a huge audience. The things that are hurting boxing can be fixed and with the right leadership the sport can become just as popular as it was in the past.Read all of Surviving the Times