It was a weekend full of upsets in college basketball. And it wasn’t just me feeling upset that Duke and North Carolina both won. #1 Kentucky was upset by unranked, but undefeated Indiana at the buzzer. Probably the most exciting game of the year so far in my opinion. #2 Ohio State was also upset by #13 Kansas. It should be mentioned, however, that the Buckeyes were playing without the best player (in my opinion) in the league due to back spasms. I think they will still be ranked near the top once he is back and well.
Usually, I wouldn’t comment on a team like Xavier that no one cares about, including myself, but if you watch the news at all, you should know what happened. A bench clearing brawl, including everyone that could reach an opposing player, ended a blow out by #8 Xavier of Cincinnati before the game was even over. The only thing that was missing was Ron Artest running into the stands and punching fans in the face. I am willing to bet that Artest (or as he now likes to be called Metta World Peace??) is laughing like hell remembering his ‘glory’ days with the Pacers.
With all this CP3 drama going on – which is a total mess – a lot of people have failed to notice one of the biggest acquisitions of this off season, Shane Battier. As Chris rightfully mentioned yesterday, Shane Battier will be the “biggest role player in the league this year.” I think that he hit the nail on the head with this assumption. The 33 year old defensive veteran is the final piece of the Heat Puzzle. That team doesn’t need scorers, we get that, but this signing will allow each of the Big 3 to specialize. First, you’re taking some weight off of Lebron, who normally has the duty of guarding the opposing top scorer. This will further allow him to focus on creating on the offensive side and dropping for help-D down low. Second, he is a perfect fit for the clubhouse. This guy is a total gamer, loves to win, and is a veteran presence amongst superstar egos. This move also bolsters the Heat bench a bit, too. A stronger presence on the defensive side will also allow the Heat to ramp up their transition game. The list goes on and on. I really think that this could be the biggest off season acquisition, and it could be a catalyst to a dynasty…
With Christmas right around the corner, the NBA is definitely back. You can’t change the channel or put on the news without hearing something about basketball. It’s great. Unfortunately, as we wait for training camps to open, most of the news has been just rumors. Regardless, it keeps everyone on their toes so here’s some more.
Let’s start off close to home. It looks like the C’s have sent Big Baby to Orlando for Brandon Bass in a sign-and-trade. I liked Baby because of the vibes he brought, but let’s be honest. The guy is not a great player. He’s far too inconsistent. I hate to say it but I remember times where I’d find myself yelling “NOOO” when he went to shoot. On the other hand, Bass is young, up and coming threat that can shoot the ball better, rebound, and is all around more athletic than Baby. The Celts definitely came out on top of this deal.
With all the hype of the Lakers wanting Howard once the Paul deal was finished, this one kind of slipped through the cracks. Last night, Dwight Howard met with the Nets without the Magic knowing. Because his current team did not know, the meeting was in violation of the NBA’s tampering rules. Results of the meeting were to have Howard ask Orlando to trade him to the Nets Friday morning. We’ll see how that works out for Superman. The Magic, instead, may be filing tampering charges against the Nets and Rockets. Whoops.
How awesome is the ScoreCenter app? An absolute must have for any smartphone. Anyways, last night I got a notification that Chris Paul was heading to LA. Not exactly what Boston fans wanted to hear. Not to mention they made it happen without getting rid of Bynum. Lookout Howard. Within 20 minutes, I got another notification saying the trade had hit a snag. Come to find out, big bad David Stern stepped in after several NBA owners complained vigorously about the trade. The cause of the problem: The NBA-owned Hornets presenting a conflict of interest. After all, did we not just miss two months of basketball due to issues of “making teams more equal”?
Well today is a new day. And with this new day comes an appeal from all three teams involved in the Chris Paul trade to reverse Sterns decision. One of the NBA’s spokesman said that the deal was blocked for “basketball reasons”. Sure…and the Indianapolis Colts will make the playoffs. The NBA found themselves in a sticky situation and Stern’s just trying to cover the tracks. Good try. The league is making a mockery of itself right now and it’s getting pretty pathetic. Either way, if the trade does end up going through, I’m not concerned. The Lakers are giving up two big names and the hopes of Howard following suit are getting slim. I guess we’ll just have to wait to see how things turn out in the next week or so.
The Panthers aggravate me. I mean is there even ice in Florida? Anyways, I guess all good things come to an end. The Bruin’s went into last night’s game hoping to brush off their first loss (with no points) in over a month by snagging a W against the Panthers. Unfortunately things didn’t fall their way. The Panthers broke a scoreless tie with 2:32 left in the game and put in an empty netter just to add insult to injury. Thomas and Jose Theodore were both solid in net, as Thomas stopped 28 of 29 shots, and Theodore let none of the 40 put against him. Not too much you can do. The opportunities were there, but the offense just couldn’t find the back of the net. I mean they hit the post like 3 or 4 times in the first period alone. Rough. But not to worry. I hear people saying the B’s are on a 2 game losing streak, blah blah blah. Already being counted out. Remember, they’re still sitting atop the Northeast Division and aren’t going to give up that easily. After such an incredible winning streak, the past two games means a lot to the team. They haven’t been used to losing so even such a small skid will be an eye opener. Expect the boys to come out ready to play Saturday, returning home from Columbus with another tally in the win column.
This story has gotten a lot of national attention this week, and its well deserved. I’ve been following a lot of the backlash on it and if you’ve seen some of my recent posts about the Cathedral High School Senior who was called for taunting while scoring the teams would-be super bowl winning touchdown you understand whats going on. When I was reading the article on ESPN today I came across something I hadn’t seen before. Apparently the Blue Hills Regional AD was interviewed after the game and this was his take on it.
Blue Hills Regional Technical School athletic director and head football coach Ed Catabia told The Boston Globe on Sunday that the referee made “a great call, the right call.”We try and play by the rules, and the rule is ‘no celebrating,’ ” he said.
No celebrating? Seriously? Like how big of a pussy could this guy possibly be? I’m sure not a single player on his team has ever celebrated a big play before. I would have loved to see this happen to this idiot and then hear his reaction after the game; my bet is he would have a different opinion on it. I bet you could have interviewed almost any Blue Hills Regional player and they even were mature enough and wouldn’t have said it was a “great call”. This guy has to be one of the most asinine individuals around. It would be one thing to maybe refer to the call as justifiable based on the rules, but after your team steals a super bowl on some BS call you go out and say it was “great”. I would love to see a video of this interview. I can only picture him as some Sandusky look-alike smiling ear to ear after he knows damn right his team just stole a super bowl from the more deserving team. Christ, I really hope he somehow sees this article so he can realize how pathetic he is.
ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported earlier today that the Celtics are still in the running for Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Reportedly the Celtics have offered Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, and two future first-round picks.
First off, I am all for the Celtics making a run at Paul but this trade makes absolutely no sense to me unless one thing comes from it; and that is if they are able to get Dwight Howard to join up with Paul here in Boston. I am content with trading away Rondo for Paul, and even including one or two draft picks.
Yes, Paul is better than Rondo, not by a landslide, but he is better. How can you also throw Jeff Green into the deal along with two first-round picks though? Let’s reverse back to last season. The Celtics gave up Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to land Jeff Green, so they must have some faith in him. I was one of the few who were not very upset when that deal went down. Jeff Green is a quality player who has averaged just less than 16 PPG as a starter in the NBA. Then you are also going to throw in two first-round picks? I think the Hornets would be stupid not to take the offer, but that’s not the argument here.
Lets just say that trade does happen. How do the Celtics get Dwight Howard? Does anyone actually think Orlando would deal Howard to the Celtics in exchange for what is left on this roster? Obviously they wont trade Pierce. So what is left? You have no draft picks to trade, and no young talent without Green. Orlando doesn’t want Allen or Garnett. They would much rather ship him to L.A. for a Bynum/Gasol combination. Not only do they get more value for Howard, they also keep him out of the conference. So assuming they can’t land Howard this is what their future will look like in three years or so. Chris Paul. That’s it. Allen, Pierce and Garnett are all on their way out and the Celtics would have no picks to draft a quality player, and no Jeff Green to help build around Paul.
The fact that they are willing to trade Rajon Rondo and his underpaid $11 million a year contract, along with the only other player on the team with some upside, and include two first round picks just to have a somewhat minor upgrade from Rondo to Paul just doesn’t make any sense to me. Not to mention they will have to sign Paul to a deal paying him almost double of what Rondo makes.
Some people will try to say if we get Paul, Howard will follow here next season when he is a free agent. The only issue is that Howard won’t be a free agent. If he won’t resign in Orlando they will trade him. There is no way they take the chance Cleveland took and just let their star player walk away and get nothing in return.
Thank god its Thursday. Tonight the Steelers take on the Browns on Thursday Night Football. It just doesn’t get any easier for the Browns after taking a beating from the Ravens last weekend. The Steelers look drastically better than they had at the beginning of the season and look poised to make a serious playoff push. James Harrison had 3 sacks last week and looks like he hasn’t lost a step. The Browns have one of the best secondaries in the NFL and if they could just get some support from their offense they would at least be able to put up a fight in their defensive minded division. Colt McCoy is still young, but I’m just unsure he will be the long-term answer as the signal caller for the Browns. As I’m sure most of you predict; the Steelers take this one.
Earlier this morning former Cardinal Albert Pujols; the MLB’s most coveted free agent signed a 10 year $250 million contract to play for the Angels. Making it the third largest contract in MLB history; behind Alex Rodriguez’s Rangers and Yankees contracts. The contract will more than likely be the last of Pujols’ career, as it will take him to the age of 41. The Angels just landed the guy their offense needed after finishing 19th in the MLB in runs scored last season. He’s arguably baseball’s best hitter and has been since he emerged into the league as a 21 year old back in 2001. Pujols is regarded as one of the few clean stars during the tainted steroid era, and is a lock as a first ballot Hall of Famer. Pujols is well respected in the MLB because of his style of play and the way he conducts himself on and off the field. This signing will put the Angels back as the favorite in the A.L West in place of the Rangers, who will more than likely also lose their top pitcher C.J. Wilson this offseason; who is rumored to potentially be heading to South Beach to join the Marlins. The Angels finished 86-76 in 2011 and 80-82 in 2010, both their worst seasons since 2003. Pujols, who averages slightly fewer than 41 homers a season is going to completely turn this offense around as it puts a bat in the line-up that pitchers really fear since Vladimir Guerrero was in his prime. Although a quarter of a billion dollar contract is a lot to fathom, I see this is a great signing by the Angels as they land the MLB’s best all-around player.
With all the trade rumors going around the NBA prior to the shortened season beginning, I thought it would be fun to get your guys take on who will be the best team in the league come June. It looks like the Heat are signing Shane Battier who will most likely be the biggest role player in the league this year.
All of these scenarios are based upon the rumors that are going around. For example, the only way the Lakers will most likely get Paul is if Howard goes there too to create their own big 3, and that the Celtics will only get him by giving up Rondo, Green, and 2 first round picks. Any other teams that you think have a legitimate shot, post in the comment section.
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