Monday, February 28, 2011

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (2/25-2/27)

10. Kyle Busch Leads All 200 Laps in Nationwide Race at Phoenix
            For those of you not informed, let me explain why the Nationwide Series is the biggest farce in American Motorsports.
            Essentially, the Nationwide Series is the NASCAR version of Triple-A. Back in the day, young drivers used to cut their teeth in the lower level before earning the right to drive a Cup car. Jeff Gordon used to drive the #1 Baby Ruth Ford before getting the call to drive for Rick Hendrick. During that time, Winston Cup drivers used to run the occasional Busch race (Nationwide used to be called the Busch Grand National Series, back before NASCAR sold it’s soul to cell phone companies) to help boost ticket sales, but you never saw a Cup driver run for the second tier series’ championship.
            Flash forward to now. Teams struggle to find sponsorship for up and coming drivers, so they turn to established Sprint Cup drivers to drive their cars. This has led to the Nationwide title being one by a full-time Sprint Cup driver every year since 2005. There is a severe talent drought in NASCAR (when Kevin Conway won the 2010 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, that was the best indicator of that fact), and sadly not even Sprint Cup stars attract crowds to the Nationwide races anymore.
             NASCAR started moving in the right direction when they made drivers pick which series they would accumulate points in, but Sprint Cup drivers are still running Nationwide races to soak up the prize money. Here is my plan to fix this series.
            A Sprint Cup driver should be allowed to run every race in Nationwide during his first two Sprint Cup seasons. There’s nothing wrong with a young driver getting extra seat time. During the third season, the Sprint Cup driver should only be allowed to run 2/3rds of the races. After year four, it’s 1/3rd. This will give full time Nationwide drivers a better chance to win, and eventually, allow Nationwide races to stand on their own without the participation of Cup drivers.

9. NFL Draft Combine Takes Place in Indianapolis
            I understand why this event is held, but have no clue why it is on television. Is there really a demand to watch 320-pound lineman run a 40-yard dash? Unless you’re a fan of the World’s Strongest Man competition, there’s no need to watch people bench press either.
            The only remotely compelling story out of Indianapolis has been Cam Newton. Unlike most top-rated quarterback prospects, Newton has participated in every single quarterback drill. He missed a few timing passes, but the touch he displayed on deep passes and his 4.59 40 yard dash time should keep Newton in the discussion as the potential #3 pick in the draft.   

8. Martin Kaymer Rises to #1 in World Golf Ranking
            I had never heard of Kaymer until I saw the headline on ESPN.com. Apparently he won the PGA Championship last August. It’s to bad Tiger Woods stopped being competitive a year and a half ago and the majority of the country stopped caring about golf, otherwise this accomplishment could be a little more celebrated.

7. Colorado Pulls Off 22-Point Comeback Against #5 Texas
            I’ll admit that I didn’t watch a second of this game, but anytime an unranked team pulls off a comeback of this magnitude against a top five opponent, it will make the list.

6. Veteran Detroit Pistons Boycott Morning Shoot-Around Friday at Philadelphia
            Thank goodness Detroit sports fans have the Red Wings, because there isn’t much to cheer about in the Motor City (except the awesome Eminem Chrysler commercial. I thought I could run through a wall after watching this ad air during the Super Bowl). Let’s review the state of each team.

Detroit Lions (NFL) – The only two bright spots in the entire history of the Lions have been Bobby Layne and Barry Sanders (I would mention Cameron Muir’s stint as quarterback of the Lions in Madden 09, but that only happened in my living room). Matt Millen famously drafted wide receivers in the first round 12 years in a row (alright it was only three, but it felt like 12) before finally building a roster that went 0-16. Things are starting to look up for the team, as long as quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy.

Detroit Tigers (MLB) – Things would be great if their best player (who they are paying more than $20 million a year) hadn’t gotten arrested after getting pulled over and taking swigs of Scotch in front of a cop in Florida.

Detroit Pistons (NBA) = Amazingly enough, I remember having conversations wondering if the 2008 Celtics could knock off the Pistons in the Eastern Conference. Now they are dealing with a player revolt. Veteran players Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Tracy McGrady, and others are so disgusted with coach John Kuester that they boycotted the shoot-around before Friday’s game in Philadelphia. To make matters worse, Pistons players laughed at Kuester after he got ejected during the game that night (click here for the sad display). It’s a shame that in the city most impacted by the economic downturn of the last five years, Detroit’s basketball team is acting like clowns.  

5. Jimmer Leads BYU to Victory at San Diego State
            Jimmer Fredette dropped 25 points (along with 9 assists) as BYU completed a season sweep of their conference rivals. I caught most of the second half of this game. I have a hard time believing either of these clubs are worthy of a #1 seed (which was what we were led to believe going into the contest), but BYU certainly looks like the greater threat to make noise in March. Announcer Steve Kerr called Fredette “surprisingly athletic” (which translates to, “He’s a white guy, but somehow, he can do more than shoot jump shots”), and I couldn’t agree more with him. Fredette looks like a rich-man’s J.J. Redick.

4. Lakers 90, Thunder 87
            Durant bricked a game-tying 3-point attempt that would’ve put this game into overtime. Kendrick Perkins hasn’t suited up for Oklahoma City yet due to a knee sprain. I’d like to think he would’ve been worth at least 3 extra points. I hope we see these clubs face off in the playoffs.

3. #1 Duke Falls to Virginia Tech
            Duke continued the trend of #1 teams falling as soon as they reach the top spot in the rankings. This definitely looks like a year where a 55-year old nurse that knows nothing about college basketball will win your office pool. Chaos will reign in March.

2. Jeff Gordon Snaps 66-Race Winless Streak at Phoenix
            Gordon was happier than a squirrel in heat at a pecan farm after winning this race. Gordon caught, bumped, and ran away from Kyle Busch to win for the first time since Texas in 2009 (to watch the pass, click here). Gordon seems to have found new life with new crew chief Alan Gustafson. It was nice to see him get the huge ovation from the fans after winning the race. While he was the most successful driver of the late ‘90s, he was the most disliked (especially by Earnhardt fans). You could tell in victory lane that he greatly appreciated the support from the fans.

1. Chauncey Billups Goes Bonkers, Knicks Steal Game in Miami
            New York was down 15 points in the first half, but went on a 16-0 run at the end of the 2nd quarter to make a game of it. The Knicks kept it close until the 4th quarter thanks to the efforts of ex-Celtic swingman Bill Walker, who apparently is blessed with the ability to shut down Dwyane Wade. Then it was Billups time.
            Chauncey was an afterthought in the epic Nuggets-Knicks trade, but seems completely rejuvenated. It’s easy to forget that he was the Finals MVP when Detroit beat the Lakers in five games to win the 2004 NBA Championship (it’s even harder to believe that Detroit was one of the best teams of the ‘00s considering the 6th item in this countdown). Billups scored 7 points in the final three minutes, including a 30-footer over Wade with just over a minute to go to put New York up for good (it felt like he was in Tallahassee when he took that shot. An insanely deep pull up 3 for that point of the game). Being thought of as a throw-in for the Carmelo trade seems to have lit a fire under the veteran point guard.
            If I’m Miami, there are two huge issues I take away from this game. For starters, the crowd was chanting “DEFENSE…DEFENSE…”, which would be great, except they were cheering for the Knicks to play defense. At least 40% of the crowd was supporting New York. Even Spike Lee was there (Miami should figure out who sold Lee the ticket and have that person banned from attending any more games). It felt like watching a Red Sox-Rays game in Tampa.
            More importantly, after scoring 34 points with ease in the first quarter, Miami was held to 52 for the rest of the game. To put it in perspective, a team that starts Ronny Turiaf at center shut them down. Mike D’Antoni has used Bill Walker sparingly so far, but a player like him is very important when you need to face the likes of Lebron, Wade, and Paul Pierce in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. No play illustrated New York’s commitment to defense than Amar’e Stoudemire’s block of Lebron’s game-tying lay-up. If Miami can’t run a half-court offense that can score on the Knicks, what are they going to do in a seven game series against Boston or Chicago?
            For highlights, click here.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sunday Draft (2-27-11) Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Rounds 6 and 7

6-61 = Carlos Marmol, RP, Cubs – I hate using any pick before the 10th round on a closer. Saves always pop up during the season, so it seems pointless to use such a high pick on a guy who will pitch only 80 innings over an everyday player or a starter that can give you 200 innings. However, for the integrity of the mock, I’ll select Marmol here. At least Marmol has a shot to give you over 100 strikeouts, so this makes him the only reliever that I would realistically take at this point in the draft.

6-62 = Mat Latos, SP, Padres – Latos will have no innings limitations this season. The ballpark gives him a chance to be a dark horse candidate for the NL Cy Young.

6-63 = Alexei Ramirez, SS, White Sox – I would hate drafting a guy who at best will give you 20 home runs and 15 steals with a 6th round pick, but the shortstop position falls of a cliff from this point. Depending on where Ramirez ends up in the lineup, he could have a shot at cracking 100 runs for the first time in his career.

6-64 = Mariano Rivera, RP, Yankees – “The Hammer of God” (as named by Tony Kornheiser) is still rolling at age 41. He’s shown no signs of decline.

6-65 = Tommy Hanson, SP, Braves – Hanson struggled during the first half of the season in 2010, but rallied to finish the year with a 1.17 WHIP.

6-66 = Andre Ethier, OF-RF, Dodgers – Ethier was superman during the first two months of last season until a stint on the DL robbed him of his mojo. With a bounce back season from Matt Kemp, Ethier’s RBI totals could increase.

6-67 = Joakim Soria, RP, Royals – A guy who has gone by the nickname “The Mexicutioner” deserves to be the 3rd closer taken in the mock (sadly, he wants to give up this nickname, which is a damn shame, because before looking him up to make sure he wasn’t undergoing season-ending surgery or something, I did not know he was called The Mexicutioner. Apparently I’ve missed out on three years of using a quality nickname).

6-68 = Jered Weaver, SP, Angels – Weaver has improved his ERA and WHIP each of the last three seasons. While it’s unrealistic to expect him to improve on a 1.07 WHIP, Weaver is a great option to anchor your fantasy rotation as either your ace or number two.

6-69 = Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels – Morales is best known for blowing his knee out while celebrating a walk-off homerun (click here for a fantastic home video of this event. Good times). If you get a repeat of his 2009 season (.306 BA, 34 HRs, 108 RBIs) from a dude you draft in the 6th round, this is the sort of pick that can win your league.

6-70 = Billy Butler, 1B, Royals – Butler has smacked 96 doubles between 2009 and 2010. Let’s say he can turn 15 of those doubles into home runs (which is optimistic, but hey, we can dream), we could be looking at a .315-30-100 line.

6-71 = Jay Bruce, OF-RF, Reds – Bruce is only 23 years old, but already has three 20+ homer seasons. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for Bruce to crack the 30-homer club this season.

6-72 = Hunter Pence, OF-RF, Astros – Pence is the Honda Civic of fantasy baseball. He’s not very sexy, but he’s reliable. Pence has hit 25 home runs each of the last three seasons. Even creepier, he hit .282 each of the last two seasons. Don’t expect a ton of upside here, but he’s a safe pick.

7-73 = Brian Wilson, RP, Giants – I was concerned when I read a few days ago that Wilson had spent some time with Charlie Sheen (yikes!), but I’ll bank on Wilson’s craziness not messing with his pitching for at least another season or two.
            Team 1 Roster = Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Ichiro, Hunter Pence, Brian Wilson

7-74 = Roy Oswalt, SP, Phillies – With this pick, the “Philtastic Four” is now completely off the board. To put it in perspective, no other team has more than one starting pitcher taken at this point. If Oswalt repeats his 2010 ERA and WHIP (2.76 and 1.03), expect his win total to be much higher than 13.
            Team 2 Roster = Miguel Cabrera, Tim Lincecum, Jose Reyes, Brandon Phillips, Adrian Beltre, Jay Bruce, Roy Oswalt

7-75 = Shane Victorino, OF-CF, Phillies – Call me crazy, but I want to buy stock in Victorino this year. His batting average in 2010 was 22 points lower than it was in any of his previous full season in the major leagues. If he bumps that average back to .280, expect 15 home runs, 40 steals, and over 100 runs scored.
            Team 3 Roster = Robinson Cano, Matt Kemp, Kevin Youkilis, Jimmy Rollins, David Price, Billy Butler, Shane Victorino

7-76 = Yovani Gallardo, SP, Brewers – Gallardo’s career WHIP of 1.32 is a littler higher than I would like from a pitcher I would spend a 7th round pick on, but the quality of the team he’s pitching for and his strikeout totals justify Gallardo being picked at this juncture.
            Team 4 Roster = Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Shin Soo Choo, Josh Johnson, Rickie Weeks, Kendry Morales, Yovani Gallardo

7-77 = Mike Stanton, OF-RF, Marlins – Stanton has as much pure power as any hitter in baseball. As soon as he gets a better grip of the strike zone (which could take a few years since he’s only 21 years old), he could be a real threat for 50 home runs at some point down the line. Expect someone to reach on Stanton much earlier than this in your draft.
            Team 5 Roster = Hanley Ramirez, Felix Hernandez, Ian Kinsler, Jose Bautista, Justin Morneau, Jered Weaver, Mike Stanton

7-78 = Alex Rios, OF-CF, White Sox – This pick isn’t as good if Rios is hitting lower in the lineup like he has been in Spring Training so far. If he’s hitting 2nd, he has a shot at 20 homers and 30 steals.
            Team 6 Roster = Evan Longoria, Ryan Howard, Zack Greinke, Justin Upton, Derek Jeter, Joakim Soria, Alex Rios

7-79 = Matt Cain, SP, Giants – If Hunter Pence is a Honda Civic, than Cain is a Ford F-150. If innings is a stat category in your league, do yourself a favor and grab Cain 10 picks higher than this.
            Team 7 Roster = Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Jayson Werth, Andre Ethier, Matt Cain

7-80 = Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pirates – Alvarez is essentially the same player as Mike Stanton, except he plays third base.
            Team 8 Roster = Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holiday, Dan Uggla, Cole Hamels, Tommy Hanson, Pedro Alvarez

7-81 = Delmon Young, OF-LF, Twins – It feels like Delmon Young has been around for years, but amazingly he’s only 25 years old. I wouldn’t be shocked if Young ups his power numbers in 2011.
            Team 9 Roster = Roy Halladay, Mark Teixeira, Andrew McCutchen, Ubaldo Jimenez, Brian McCann, Mariano Rivera, Delmon Young

7-82 = Martin Prado, 2B-3B, Braves – Prado is a solid fall-back option if you miss out on Robinson Cano and Chase Utley at the top of the draft. 3B eligibility is also a nice bonus to have for roster flexibility.
            Team 10 Roster = Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer, Jason Heyward, Aramis Ramirez, Alexei Ramirez, Martin Prado

7-83 = B.J. Upton, CF, Rays – Even if Upton’s batting average is stuck around .240 like he has been the past two seasons, he’s a lock for 40 steals. If Upton can up the batting average to .270, you could be looking at a top-10 player at the end of the season.
            Team 11 Roster = Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Jon Lester, Buster Posey, Adam Dunn, Mat Latos, B.J. Upton

7-84 = Paul Konerko, 1B, White Sox – For those of you patient enough to wait on a first basemen, this could be your reward. I don’t expect Konerko to duplicate his 2010 production (.312 BA, 39 HRs, 111 RBIs, .977 OPS), but even if he settles in at .265-28-100, you’re getting a great bargain at the end of the 7th round.
            Team 12 Roster = David Wright, Chase Utley, Nelson Cruz, C.C. Sabathia, Carlos Santana, Carlos Marmol, Paul Konerko

Friday, February 25, 2011

Accounting for Wainwright and Round 5 of the Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

            I had Adam Wainwright ranked as the 3rd pitcher that should be taken in standard fantasy leagues this season (and had him as the 23rd overall pick), but sadly he has to undergo Tommy John surgery and will be lost for the season. Rather than reset the entire draft from the point of where he was originally taken, I’ve instead moved starting pitchers up one slot earlier than they were originally chosen. It’s not perfect, but it still reflects the order I think starters should be chosen. Here’s the updated list of pitchers taken in the first 4 rounds.

Roy Halladay, PHI, 1-9
Felix Hernandez, SEA, 2-20
Tim Lincecum, SF, 2-23
Clayton Kershaw, LAD, 3-25
Zack Greinke, MIL, 3-30
Cliff Lee, PHI, 3-31
Jon Lester, BOS, 3-35
C.C. Sabathia, NYY, 4-37
Ubaldo Jimenez, COL, 4-40
Josh Johnson, FLA, 4-45
Justin Verlander, DET, 4-48

            Just looking at that group, wouldn’t you be happy with any of those guys as your fantasy staff ace? It probably makes sense to wait on pitching until the middle of the 4th round. Now, on to the 5th round…

5-49 = Ichiro, OF-RF, Mariners – Seattle’s offense was so historically terrible that Ichiro only scored 74 runs despite posting a .315 batting average. Despite that, this is a great spot to grab a career .331 hitter who should swipe at least 35 bases.
            Team 1 Roster = Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Ichiro

5-50 = Adrian Beltre, 3B, Rangers – Beltre is a scary dude to draft. The only time he has ever hit over .300 in his career is when he is playing for a new contract (2004 with the Dodgers and 2010 with Boston). The one major factor this time around is instead of signing with a team with a gigantic park (Seattle), he’s going to play half of his games in one of the best hitter’s parks in the majors. You probably won’t see me make this pick on draft day, but due to the position he plays (and lack of talented 3B left on the board), grabbing Beltre here is justified (just don’t grab him by the head, he’ll punch you in the face).
            Team 2 Roster = Miguel Cabrera (I’ll explain why I haven’t adjusted the draft for him later), Tim Lincecum, Jose Reyes, Brandon Phillips, Adrian Beltre

5-51 = David Price, SP, Rays – Currently in ESPN.com live drafts, Price is being chosen around the 70th pick. I think people are very concerned about the free agent losses the Rays are going to have to deal with, as well as the overcrowded AL East. Even if the Rays are sub par, I don’t see that having a dramatic impact on Price’s stats or development. This is a guy that posted a 2.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP while pitching a great deal of his games against the Red Sox and Yankees (for comparison’s sake, Jon Lester posted a 3.25 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP, and he went 16 picks earlier).
            Team 3 Roster = Robinson Cano, Matt Kemp, Kevin Youkilis, Jimmy Rollins, David Price

5-52 = Rickie Weeks, 2B, Brewers – Exhibit A of my theory that if you don’t get one of the top middle-infielders within the first 25 picks, you might want to wait until later in the draft to address the middle infield. Weeks put up 29 homers last season, but his 184 strikeouts show he is a candidate to have a miserable season (think .230 batting average with 200 Ks).
            Team 4 Roster = Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Shin Soo Choo, Josh Johnson, Rickie Weeks

5-53 = Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins – Morneau is still feeling effects from a concussion he sustained in July, but at least he is participating in Spring Training drills. This is a great spot to take a guy who put up a 1.055 OPS while healthy in 2010.
            Team 5 Roster = Hanley Ramirez, Felix Hernandez, Ian Kinsler, Jose Bautista, Justin Morneau

5-54 = Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees – Exhibit B of why you either need to take a middle infielder early or punt until the later rounds. You know runs will be there, but do you really want to use a 5th round pick on a guy who put up a .270-10-67 line last season?
            Team 6 Roster = Evan Longoria, Ryan Howard, Zack Greinke, Justin Upton, Derek Jeter

5-55 = Jayson Werth, OF-CF-RF, Nationals – Werth is vastly overpaid in real life, but that doesn’t mean you should shun him from your fantasy team. He should form a great 1-2 punch with Ryan Zimmerman.
            Team 7 Roster = Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Jayson Werth 

5-56 = Cole Hamels, SP, Phillies – Pitched great during the second half of 2010 despite very poor run support. It’s pretty amazing that three Phillies starters went in this mock by the 56th pick.
            Team 8 Roster = Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Dan Uggla, Cole Hamels

5-57 = Brian McCann, C, Braves – If you had to bet on one catcher to hit between 20 and 25 home runs and drive in 80+ runs, this is the guy.
            Team 9 Roster = Roy Halladay, Mark Teixeira, Andrew McCutchen, Ubaldo Jimenez, Brian McCann

5-58 = Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Cubs – Ramirez was on my fantasy team last year, and let me tell you he was terrible. However, a thumb injury was largely to blame for his struggles during the first half of the season. I fully expect Ramirez to bounce back to a line of around .290-27-105, with potential for more due to his impending free agency after the season. 
            Team 10 Roster = Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer, Jason Heyward, Aramis Ramirez

5-59 = Adam Dunn, 1B, White Sox – In the post-steroids era, guys that hit 40 home runs don’t grow on trees anymore the way they used to. This makes Dunn, who has hit between 38 and 46 home runs every season since 2004, a valuable commodity despite his very high strikeout rate.
            Team 11 Roster = Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Jon Lester, Buster Posey, Adam Dunn

5-60 = Carlos Santana, C, Indians – Santana was well on his way to a stellar rookie season before a devastating leg injury at Fenway park (I’d post a video link to it, but the people running Major League Baseball are stuck in 1974 and don’t see the value of letting fans view classic highlights and moments. Because you know, that might boost fan interest. Someone tell me again why Bud Selig still runs baseball?). Santana posted a remarkable .401 OBP in 46 games, with a walk to strikeout ratio of 37-29. Patience like that for a rookie is remarkable. Santana has all the tools to become the best catcher in baseball.
            Team 12 Roster = David Wright, Chase Utley, Nelson Cruz, C.C. Sabathia, Carlos Santana

            Which of these teams is off to the best start? Let me know what you think in the comments section below this article.




Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mutant-Russian Mark Cuban Goes All-In

            Say what you want about Mikhail Prokhorov, but the man has stones. Based on the trade he made today, he’s the type of guy who’d move all-in at the poker table with pocket deuces. At first glance, the price New Jersey had to pay for Deron Williams was significantly less than what New York paid for Carmelo Anthony. It looks even better when you consider that Deron Williams is a better player than Carmelo (player, not a better scorer). Two issues though make this trade a high-risk proposition.
            For starters, Carmelo Anthony is one of the most recognizable players in the NBA. His addition to any team in the league would spark interest in casual sports fans. Madison Square Garden had the atmosphere of a playoff game when ‘Melo was introduced before the game, not a regular season game in February. For as great as Deron Williams is, he does not have the star power that will boost ticket sales.
            More importantly, Williams is a free agent after next season (Carmelo signed a three year extension that will keep him in a Knicks uniform through the 2013-14 season). New Jersey had not even contacted him to gauge his interest in joining the Nets. Prokhorov has to gamble that within a year and a half, he can convince Williams (who according to multiple sports writers in Utah, was “shocked” and “unhappy” about being dealt) that the team has a definitive plan to build a championship caliber team. Otherwise, Williams will be pretty discouraged after playing over a season in a half-empty arena.
            I can’t say that I blame New Jersey for making this move. Similar to how the Washington Nationals vastly overpaid Jayson Werth, the Nets needed to do something to show that they are serious about building a winning team. Even if Williams has no desire to stay after the 2011-12 season, Prokhorov can have his henchman flip the point guard in a trade at next year’s trade deadline (an option which has not been discussed enough. It will be a less hyped version of the Melodrama we saw this season, but there will be plenty of teams lining up for Deron’s services if he’s available for a trade again in a year). All in all, the Williams’ trade is an aggressive statement made by the New Jersey Nets.  

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Melodrama's End

            I’ve been playing Madden for the various Playstation systems for over a decade now. In the game, there is a Franchise mode where you can run an NFL team for up to 30 years. The oldest trick in the book to stack your team was to sign high rated free agents, and then immediately trade the players you signed for players you need at different positions that are on other teams, or trade them for draft picks. I remember one draft when I was running the Dallas Cowboys back in the early ‘00s where I had seven of the first 10 picks in the draft (the Dave Campo Cowboys needed a lot of help, even with the services of super-stud Cam Muir at quarterback. Muir once threw for over 6,000 yards and ran for 1,100 in the same season. The guy was the greatest Madden QB ever). However, with the PS3 edition, you now get a financial penalty for trading players who you were supposed to pay a large bonus too. This meant that I had to delete my Buffalo Bills franchise a week ago (after playing 9 seasons and winning 7 Super Bowls) because I didn’t realize I had racked up $256.1 million in cap penalties (I don’t even think Al Davis could mismanage the cap that bad). It was financially impossible for me to field a complete roster around star 2nd generation quarterback Evan Muir (the son of Cam Muir, who looks like a dead-ringer for his old-man on the virtual grid-iron).
            As strange as it may sound, my Madden troubles were the first thing I thought of after hearing word that Carmelo Anthony was officially traded to the Knicks. New York gave up three players averaging more than 16 points per game (Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, and Wilson Chandler) and a center who’s claim to fame is getting posterized by Blake Griffin (Timofey Mozgov, who happens to be a 7-footer, which is why he has value). They also sent the uber-talented Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract (in this case, the contract is way more noteworthy than the player) to Minnesota. As you might guess, that’s an insane amount of players. They were able to bring in Chauncey Billups along with Anthony, which improves their point guard situation in the short term, but they have completely gutted any sort of depth they had.
            In a world where a salary cap didn’t exist, I would have no problem with this trade. NBA history has shown that in order to win a championship, you need at least two A-Level players, or one A and two B-Level guys. Here’s a list of notable championship teams and their best players for the last 15 years.

2008-10 Los Angeles Lakers: A-Level = Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, B-Level = Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum

2007-08 Boston Celtics: A-Level = Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, B-Level = Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo

2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs: A-Level = Tim Duncan, B-Level = Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker

2005-06 Miami Heat: A-Level = Dwyane Wade, B-Level = Shaq

2003-04 Detroit Pistons: A-Level = Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace B-Level = Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince

1999-02 Los Angeles Lakers: A-Level = Shaq, Kobe Bryant

1998-99 San Antonio Spurs: A-Level = Tim Duncan, B-Level = David Robinson

1995-98 Chicago Bulls: A-Level = Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, B-Level = Dennis Rodman

            The only two exceptions to my “A/B-Level” Rule were the 2005-06 Heat (who were bailed out by the refs against the Dallas Mavericks) and the 1998-99 Spurs (who won the very quirky lockout shortened season). Other than that, you better have some star power. Carmelo and Stoudemire paired together certainly bring that to the table.
            The issue here is flexibility going forward. Going into a very uncertain financial future in the NBA, it is hard to predict what the rules will be. There might be a hard salary cap, which means a team will not have an option of paying a luxury tax if they are over it. The cap itself might shrink from its current amount of $58 million. Let’s hypothetically say the cap stays put at $58 in the new collective bargaining agreement with a hard cap. New York will be shelling out roughly $40 million for both Carmelo and Amar’e for the next three years. That leaves the Knicks $18 million to fill the rest of their roster. That would eliminate them from having any chance at adding Chris Paul, Deron Williams, or Dwight Howard when those three hit free agency after the 2012 season.
            One could point to Miami as an example of a team that can load up with star players and surround them with cheap role players. The problem in the Knicks case is that Carmelo is not even equal to Wade, much less Lebron. Neither Carmelo nor Stoudemire are great passers. Typically when the ball is in their hands, they are usually going to shoot. Billups isn’t exactly a great distributor either. It will be harder for the Knicks to get solid production out of role players the way Miami does with someone like Lebron and Wade to kick the ball out to wide open 3-point shooters.
             In the short term this is a win for the Knicks. Their long-suffering fan base finally has a reason to get excited. Stoudemire and Anthony are the best duo the Knicks have ever had (New York’s failure to find an amigo for Patrick Ewing was the main reason the Knicks never won a championship during the Ewing-era. That and you know, that Jordan guy that played in Chicago). The only thing that can bail them out going forward is a favorable labor agreement between the players and the league. If New York is able to spend $65 or $70 million on their roster, they should have no problem building a championship caliber team within three years (assuming they add Paul or Williams). If there is a salary crunch, and New York is stuck with two stars and very little else, they will be lucky to get out of the 1st round in the Eastern Conference Playoffs year after year.        


   

Monday, February 21, 2011

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (2/18-2/20)

10. Justin Bieber Voted MVP of All-Star Celebrity Game
            I caught a few minutes of this game Friday night. At one point, Scottie Pippen blocked a Bieber jump shot without even leaving his feet. Beliebers must have missed that play (the MVP of this game was determined by fan vote. Who knew 13-year-old girls liked celebrity basketball games). 
            To see the epic rejection, click here.

9. Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche Swap Starting Goalies
            I love trades where teams swap mediocre players that play the same position. Colorado shipped Craig Anderson and his 3.28 GAA to Ottawa for Brian Elliott and his 3.19 GAA. Essentially, both teams were so sick of their goalies that they were willing to bring in another crappy goalie to replace them. Anderson did pitch a 47-save shutout in his first game for Ottawa, so perhaps a change of scenery will be good for both of these guys.

8. Tony Stewart Edges Out Clint Bowyer to Win Nationwide Race
            More notable than Stewart edging Bowyer by a bumper was Danica Patrick running up front before eventually finishing 14th. NASCAR would love nothing more than to see Patrick run well in her 12 Nationwide Series races this season. Good finishes would go a long in way in convincing Patrick to make the jump to NASCAR full-time in 2012.
If you missed the finish, click here.

7. Calgary Flames Destroy Canadians in Heritage Classic
            If an outdoor hockey game happens in Canada, but no one in America knows about it because of the NBA All-Star Game and the Daytona 500, did it really happen? In this case, it did.
            I only caught part of this game on accident while flipping through channels before the NBA All-Star Game. I understand that this event was geared towards Canada (the Canadian teams have been pissy about not being included in the New Year’s Day Winter Classic), but wouldn’t it make a little sense to stage the event on a quieter sports weekend? This morning on ESPN.com, the Heritage Classic was the ninth story listed on their homepage. It would make a ton of sense for the NHL to schedule this sort of event on a weekend with less competition.  

6. Rookies Beat Sophomores Thanks to John Wall
            None of Wall’s record 24 assists were as impressive as this bounce pass to Blake Griffin. Griffin should’ve borrowed Wall to help him out with the dunk contest.

5. New York Knicks Get Desperate in Pursuit for Carmelo Anthony
            New York is reportedly willing to send Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, and Wilson Chandler to Denver in exchange for Carmelo Anthony. In other words, they are willing to part with their second, third, and fourth best players. That’s an awful lot to give up for a guy who scores a ton, but no much else.

4. St. Johns Beats #4 Pittsburgh With Last Second Lay-up
            St. Johns is somehow only 17-9, but it seems like every week they are pulling off a mammoth upset. They already smoked Duke, and this past weekend it was #4 Pittsburgh. I’m pulling for St. Johns to end up as an #8 or #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament so they can pull off a win over a #1 seed in round 2.

3. Blake Griffin Jumps Over a Car, Wins Slam Dunk Contest
            I don’t want to spend too much time ranting about the Dunk Contest, but I need to write a couple of sentences about Serge Ibaka. His first dunk (where video evidence clearly shows he took off a couple of inches behind the foul line) should’ve been scored a 65 out of 50. For him to be given a 45 was ridiculous. Julius Erving (who is credited with being the first man to successfully make a foul-line dunk, but actually took off while his foot was halfway over the line) should’ve walked out on to the court and kissed Ibaka’s shoes.
            Moving on from a stupid rant about a forgotten dunk (if you ever see me at the grocery store, don’t bring it up. It’s still a sore subject), I’ll simply post links to the epic dunks of the night.
           
Serge Ibaka Foul Line Dunk – This video is extra fun because Charles Barkley says “that kid has a great body” about Ibaka like he was talking about Brooklyn Decker.

Demar Derozan Makes "The Showstopper"– This video is creepy because who ever edited it decided to add somber music and play the clip in slow motion. Kind of weird, but strangely rewatchable.

Javale McGee Double-Dunk – For my money, the best dunk of the night. The degree of difficulty to pull that dunk (or two dunks I guess) was off the charts.

Blake Griffin's Reverse 360 Slam – Griffin smacked himself in the face with the ball after this slam.

Griffin Jumps Over a Car– The actual dunk itself wasn’t all that impressive, but the production value was unintentionally comical.

2. Kobe Bryant Goes Bonkers, Leads West Over the East
            Kobe’s 37 points trumped Lebron James’ triple-double. Speaking of Lebron…I didn’t think he could’ve done anything to make Cavalier’s fans hate him even more, but his impassioned speech to fire up his teammates might’ve done it (I tried to find a leak to this, but unfortunately couldn’t locate one at this time). All of a sudden a guy who mailed it in during the last three games of the playoff series against Boston gives a crap about an exhibition game?

1. 20-Year Old Trevor Bayne Wins Daytona 500
            I’m not sure what you were doing when you were twenty years old, but most of my time was spent playing video games and searching for a place to party (I write searching for a party because more often than not I was either unable to locate a party, or my buddy and I were to lazy to go to a party and played Madden instead). What was Trevor Bayne doing the day after he turned 20 years old? You know, just winning the biggest auto race in the United States.
            If you missed the last two laps, check it out here.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sunday Draft (2-20-11) Round 4 of the 2011 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

4-37 = Jon Lester, SP, Red Sox – I love Lester this year. Even if he pitches as well as he did the past two seasons, he has a chance to sneak up to 22 or 24 wins with the powerful offense he has supporting him.
           
4-38 = Buster Posey, C-1B, Giants – Posey looks like the National League version of Joe Mauer, with a little less average and a bit more power.

4-39 = Jason Heyward, OF-RF, Braves – The only thing that held Heyward back last season was a couple of pesky injuries. His excellent plate discipline gives him the chance to a top-10 player this season. You’ll probably have to snag him in the 3rd round if you want him on your team.

4-40 = C.C. Sabathia, SP, Yankees – I can’t figure out why most fantasy prognosticators have C.C. ranked so low. The last time I checked, he still pitches for the New York Yankees. Even more important, he has the option to opt out of his contract after this season (which based on how much money Cliff Lee got paid, Sabathia better be opting out of his contract), which means he is probably pitching to earn the last big contract of his career.  

4-41 = Dan Uggla, 2B, Braves – Uggla can be frustrating at times due to his high strikeout rate, but second basemen that consistently smack over 30 homers per season don’t grow on trees.

4-42 = Victor Martinez, C-1B, Tigers – Assuming Miguel Cabrera gets the help he needs and is ready to go for opening day, Victor Martinez is the perfect compliment for him. Victor will rarely have to play catcher this season, which means you will get more at-bats out of him than your typical backstop.

4-43 = Justin Upton, OF-RF, Diamondbacks – Upton was picked anywhere from the mid-2nd to early 3rd-round in fantasy drafts last year, but regressed in almost every offensive category. This is a guy that if he can ever figure it out, could deliver top-10 value.

4-44 = Jose Bautista, 3B-RF, Blue Jays – Bautista came out of nowhere to hit 54 home runs last season. While no one should expect to see that again, would you complain if you got 35 homers out of a 3rd Basemen you took towards the end of the 4th round?

4-45 = Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Rockies – Jimenez was the best pitcher in baseball the first half of last year before sputtering down the stretch. Reports out of spring training are favorable so far, so expect Jimenez to come out of the gates strong again (and then maybe think about trading him in late June).

4-46 = Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies – I would not take Jimmy Rollins here, but in your draft someone will probably already have taken him at the end of the 3rd round. Rollins has been in steady decline the past few seasons.

4-47 = Brandon Phillips, 2B, Reds – Cincinnati had one of the most powerful offenses in the National League last season, but Phillips actually had a down year. If he bounces back in 2011, expect a career year.

4-48 = Josh Johnson, SP, Marlins – If Johnson wasn’t such an injury risk, you could make a case for him being taken in the range of Felix Hernandez and Tim Lincecum. This is the perfect spot to gamble on him.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Earnhardt Clips and Round 3 of the Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

            I never met Dale Earnhardt, but I’m pretty sure he would call anyone that would do a fantasy baseball mock draft a word that could also be used to refer to a cat. Nevertheless, 10 years after his death, I’m listing some clips of Dale Earnhardt’s most memorable moments before the 3rd round of my fantasy baseball mock draft. There’s a few crashes (not the one that killed him though, I didn’t feel the need to list that), a few of his most famous shortcomings at the Daytona 500, and some of his most memorable victories.

Dale Earnhardt's 1982 Pocono Flip – Dale broke his kneecap as a result of this crash with the late Tim Richmond.

The Winston 1987 - The Pass in the Grass – Bill Elliott had the much faster car, but Earnhardt refused to surrender the lead.

Final Lap of 1990 Daytona 500 – Earnhardt cuts a tire down going into turn 3 on the last lap, giving Derrick Cope one of the greatest upset wins in NASCAR history.

1993 Daytona 500 – Earnhardt gets passed by Dale Jarrett on the last lap to again be denied a Daytona 500 victory. This race is best remembered for Dale’s father Ned announcing the final lap of the race.

1995 Brickyard 400 – Earnhardt holds off Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett for his only career win at Indianapolis.

1996 Dale Earnhardt Flip at Talladega –Earnhardt refused to be loaded onto a stretcher despite a broken collarbone, sternum, and shoulder blade after this hellacious crash.

1997 Daytona 500 – In contention for the win, contact with Jeff Gordon leads to Earnhardt ending up airborne.

1998 Daytona 500 – Dale finally wins the Daytona 500.

Earnhardt Rattles Terry Labonte's Cage – Earnhardt spun out the much faster Terry Labonte with two laps to go to win the 1999 August race at Bristol. (EDITORS NOTE: Unless you really enjoy the song “Flirtin’ With Disaster”, fast forward to about the 0:45 second mark of this clip.)

Earnhardt Wins By 0.006 Seconds – Earnhardt barely held on to beat Bobby Labonte in a 2000 race at Atlanta.

18th to First – In what would be his final Winston Cup victory, Earnhardt makes an incredible charge to win the 2000 fall race at Talladega.

Now on to the 3rd round…

3-25 = Tim Lincecum, SP, Giants – Lincecum’s stats were down last season (mostly due to a horrendous August), and he threw a ton of extra pitches during the Giants’ World Series run. I would be hesitant to use a pick this high on him, but this is probably about the spot Lincecum will go.
            Team 1 = Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Tim Lincecum

3-26 = Jose Reyes, SS, Mets – Reyes is another contract year guy that if healthy, should give you first round production. This is a reasonable spot to take a chance on him.
            Team 2 = Miguel Cabrera, Adam Wainwright, Jose Reyes

3-27 = Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox – Youkilis will gain 3rd base eligibility between 1 and 20 games into the season (depending on your league rules). Whether he anywhere from 3rd through 6th in the Red Sox lineup, he’ll be a good bet to hit 25 homers with 105 RBIs.
            Team 3 = Robinson Cano, Matt Kemp, Kevin Youkilis

3-28 = Shin Soo Choo, OF-RF, Indians – A reliable source of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. With a healthy Carlos Santana and Grady Sizemore, Choo could finally break the 100 RBI barrier.
            Team 4 = Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Shin Soo Choo

3-29 = Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers – Kinsler would be a perennial top-10 pick if it weren’t for the fact that he’s missed 192 games during his 5-year career. I’d be happy to grab him if he slipped into the mid-4th, but someone will grab him this high.
            Team 5 = Hanley Ramirez, Felix Hernandez, Ian Kinsler

3-30 = Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers – This might be five picks to early, but his progression as a major league starter suggests that he could develop into a fantasy ace in 2011.
            Team 6 = Evan Longoria, Ryan Howard, Clayton Kershaw

3-31 = Zack Greinke, SP, Brewers – If you buy all of the talk that Greinke’s poor 2010 was due solely to the fact that he was bored pitching for a losing team, than you would be more than happy to add him at this point of the draft. Greinke has the ability to be the #1 pitcher in fantasy (he was for most of the first half of the 2009 season), and his switch to the National League makes him all the more tantalizing.
            Team 7 = Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke

3-32 = Matt Holliday, OF-LF, Cardinals – Holliday is blessed with hitting either before or after Albert Pujols (for at least one more year anyway). At his worst, he should finish the season with a .280-25-110 line, which makes him the safest pick of this round so far. He’s not a sexy pick, but he will help you win.
            Team 8 = Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday

3-33 = Andrew McCutchen, OF-CF, Pirates – I like McCutchen as a potential breakout candidate in 2011. He has solid plate discipline (70 walks to only 89 strikeouts), and with just a little help from his teammates, he could make a run at a .300-20-80-40-110 season in the five basic fantasy categories.
            Team 9 = Roy Halladay, Mark Teixeira, Andrew McCutchen

3-34 = Joe Mauer, C, Twins – Mauer is the safest bet in the majors to have a batting average of at least .320. If he can get his home run total closer to 20, this pick is a slam-dunk.
            Team 10 = Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer

3-35 = Cliff Lee, SP, Phillies – Going into this draft I figured Lee would be a late 2nd round pick, but somehow it made sense for him to go right about here. I wouldn’t argue with anyone who took him as high as the 24th pick.
            Team 11 = Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Cliff Lee

3-36 = Nelson Cruz, OF-LF-RF, Rangers – I’m a sucker for Nelson Cruz. Two years ago I traded Cole Hamels for Cruz. Last year I traded Buster Posey (and two other players, yikes!) for Cruz. This year I’ll probably just draft him in the first round so I don’t have to deal with any pesky trade negotiations.
            Team 12 = David Wright, Chase Utley, Nelson Cruz

Friday, February 18, 2011

NBA All-Star Break Questions

Should Denver call Carmelo’s bluff?
            I’m almost as sick of Carmelo Anthony trade rumors as I am of Katy Perry (is it just me, or is Katy Perry EVERYWHERE. Shouldn’t she of gone away after the “I Kissed a Girl” song, or am I way off base? Keep in mind this opinion is based off a guy who’s TV is on Sprout 10 hours a day). Thank God the trade deadline is in a week.
            The Nuggets are in a tough spot. They are currently 7th in the Western Conference. On one hand, they are only 4 ½ games out of 4th place, but on the other they are only 6 games ahead of 12th. The direction they need to go depends on whether or not they think they have a realistic chance at winning the championship. If Denver thinks they can make a run in the wide-open West, they should hold on to Carmelo. Perhaps the team will be galvanized after hanging on to their superstar and get on a roll. If Denver doesn’t think they can win, they should trade Carmelo for the best package they can get. Even with a deep playoff run, it is unlikely that Carmelo stays in Denver despite his quotes recently that if he weren’t traded, he would consider signing a three year extension with Denver (most sources close to Anthony have indicated he will end up with the Knicks either via trade or during the off season). Just ask the fans of Cleveland and Toronto what it is like to let your best player walk out after the season for nothing. Denver needs to come up with some package of young players and/or draft picks to rebuild some sort of foundation post-Carmelo. With word that Anthony is going to meet face-to-face with the Nets Russian mutant-cyborg owner over the All-Star break, it looks like Denver is looking to pull the trigger on a deal within the week.  

Does the potential lockout cripple any potential trades before the deadline?
            More than likely, yes. By my count, there are only eight teams that have a chance to win the championship this season (Boston, Miami, Chicago, Orlando, San Antonio, the Lakers, Dallas, and Oklahoma City). Throw in the two clubs that are actively pursuing Carmelo (the Knicks and New Jersey), and that leaves you with 10 teams that are either looking to win now or add a franchise guy for the future. That leaves you 20 teams that will be looking to do nothing else than shed salary for greater cap flexibility going forward, or add draft picks.
            The salary cap is the biggest hindrance to a trade. This year’s cap is a shade over $58 million (there are complicated rules where if you are over that number you have to pay a luxury tax, and sometimes you can add a player with what is called a “mid-level exception”, but we’ll keep this conversation simple and just stick to basic salary cap number). There are rumors that NBA owners will force the salary cap down to $50 million for the 2011-12 season. With uncertainty over where that cap number will be going forward, most clubs are not going to want to take on a deal unless it is an expiring contract. Normally clubs use expiring contracts as bargaining chips to acquire a top-flight player who is signed to a long term deal, but even contenders are more likely to hang on to their own expiring players so they don’t cripple themselves with long-term deals moving forward.
            To make a long-story short, don’t expect mid-level teams to make a move to try to improve their standing. If we weren’t facing a potential lockout, the Houston Rockets would love to move Yao Ming’s massive expiring contract ($17 million) to add a stud player. Going into an uncertain cap situation, they are less likely to make a move to add a player who might be able to get them to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Are the Lakers on cruise control until the playoffs, or are they really in trouble?
            I would vote for cruise control. Los Angeles seems to be following the model the Boston Celtics used last season (if you recall, Boston was barely a .500 team the final few months of the 2009-10 season, but made it to the Finals anyway). Los Angeles still has the strongest front line of any club in the league, and as long as they can keep Andrew Bynum healthy (which is admittedly a tough task), their best effort would still beat the A-game of any potential western conference opponent.

If you had your choice of one superstar to build your team around, who would it be?
            Anyone who wouldn’t take a guy who is currently averaging 26 points, 7 boards, 7 assists, and shoots just under 50% from the field, would be crazy. Lebron James is the answer to this question 100 times out of 100.

My team needs a big-man. Who should I call to make a trade?
            Sacramento currently has the 3rd worst record in the NBA, but they have four solid bigs that could help a playoff team. Samuel Dalembert is on the books for over $13 million this season, but is a free agent after this season. At his best he would bring solid rebounding and shot-blocking ability to a team, and at his worst he at least gives you six fouls to give. Carl Landry and Jason Thompson are solid role-players who could give a team a solid 20-25 minutes a night. Neither player makes more than $3 million per year.
            The home run addition would be troubled rookie DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins’ issues have been well documented, but this is still a guy who in the long run is capable of averaging a 22-12 for an entire season. Bill Simmons wrote in his annual trade value column this week that if he were an NBA GM, he would be calling the Kings everyday to see if they hit the breaking point with Cousins, and I couldn’t agree more. If Oklahoma City could steal Cousins for a bag of peanuts, they would be virtually guaranteed to win a championship within the next three seasons.  

Can the Phoenix Suns please do Steve Nash a favor and trade him to a contender?
            Nash is a loyal Canadian who will not ask for a trade out of Phoenix no matter how bad it gets. Phoenix would have to do the right thing and send Nash to a team that could win the title.
            With the quality of point guards in the NBA right now, it is tough to find a potential destination for Nash. Boston, Chicago, San Antonio, Dallas, and Oklahoma City are set at point guard.  Miami would love to add Nash, but they don’t have the finances or the trade chips to make a deal work. Los Angeles would be an interesting destination, but wouldn’t be willing to part with Andrew Bynum for a 35-year old point guard. That leaves Orlando, New York, and Atlanta as three interested teams where Nash would fit.
            Atlanta could desperately use a point guard (that zombie who sort of looks like Mike Bibby…oh wait that is Mike Bibby…anyway, Bibby is washed up), and would have Josh Smith and Al Horford to cover for Steve’s inability to guard anyone, but I’d be shocked if Nash signed off on a trade to the Hawks.
            New York is an interesting possibility, but they seem dead set on landing Carmelo and then adding either Chris Paul or Deron Williams in 2012.
            That leaves Orlando as the only logical destination for Nash. I was disappointed that Nash wasn’t included in the December trade between these two clubs, as Nash would be a major upgrade over Jameer Nelson. Nash running the pick and roll with Dwight Howard would be devastating, and Howard would be the back line that would pick up the slack for Nash on defense. Orlando’s fleet of three-point shooters would benefit from Nash’s pinpoint passing. If this trade could happen, you could probably cancel the Eastern Conference playoffs.

What moves could the eight contenders make to improve their chances of winning the championship?
            We’ll list the teams one by one in reverse order of their current winning percentages.

Orlando Magic – While the Nash trade discussed earlier would be a home run it is probably a pipe dream. In the meantime, Orlando should look to add some size to assist Dwight Howard down low. While Earl Clark (who was acquired in the trade with Phoenix) has been pretty serviceable the last week or two, Orlando could use at least one more guy to be on the floor in case Howard were to get into foul trouble. I would be calling Sacramento everyday if I were the GM of the Magic.

Oklahoma City Thunders – Similar to Orlando, the Thunder need to find a guy a guy who can rebound (that player could be Kevin Durant, who should be spending at least half of his minutes on the floor at power forward, but that’s another story).


LA Lakers – Rumors of a panic trade for Carmelo Anthony were fun, but Los Angeles should just stand pat. If they could flip a draft pick for a bench player to help at small forward that would be nice, but this team just needs to try hard and they will be fine.

Chicago Bulls – What Chicago has done without having both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah on the floor together for almost the entire season has been amazing. Derrick Rose should win the MVP going away this season (that doesn’t mean he’s better than Lebron or anything, but where would the Bulls be without him?). With Noah due back within a week, Chicago does not need to add any depth at the frontcourt. There only real weakness is at shooting guard. Perhaps dialing up Memphis to see what it would cost to get O.J. Mayo (who has struggled this season, but would probably benefit from being on a new team). If the price were a late first round pick, I would pull the trigger. Richard Hamilton would also be an interesting option. Hamilton has been in numerous big games between his pro and college career.

Dallas Mavericks - Dallas is in an odd spot. For the first time in the Dirk-era, they have a credible low post defender in Tyson Chandler. Caron Butler was a solid secondary scoring option, but he was lost for the season with a torn ACL. They could benefit from having a scoring threat from the two or three, but it’s hard to see where they could find one. Mayo or Hamilton would be options, but Dallas would benefit more from a 3-point threat to compliment Nowitzki. A minor trade for a player like Rasual Butler from the Clippers, or Anthony Parker from the Cavaliers, would make some sense, but Dallas will more than likely enter the postseason with the team they currently have.

Miami Heat – I won’t waste much time here, because Miami simply doesn’t have the dollars to go out and add a point guard or big man. They’ll go into the playoffs with The Big 2 Featuring Chris Bosh, and not much else. 

Boston Celtics – Boston doesn’t need to worry about anything other than getting their big men healthy.

San Antonio Spurs – San Antonio has done a masterful job of building a team around an aging Tim Duncan. If they could add a wing defender in the mold of Bruce Bowen, they would be tough to beat come playoff time.

If you are the Utah Jazz, and Jerry Sloan were to call you and say he wants his job back, would you take him?
            I would certainly think about it. Utah has lost their last four games, and they are 0-3 without Sloan on the bench. Utah has plunged all the way into a tie for 8th in the western conference.
            Coaching may be an issue, but the Jazz seems to have a flawed roster. Their best three forwards (Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, and Andrei Kirilenko) don’t mesh well on the court at the same time. Kirilenko hits free agency after this season, so his $17 million expiring contract is a great trade chip. Due do the uncertain cap situation for 2011-12 though, Utah is more likely to hang on to Kirilenko and let his salary come off of their books. This will give Utah solid flexibility to cope with whatever the salary cap looks like during the new collective bargaining agreement, which will then allow them to retool their roster.

If every playoff team were healthy going into the postseason, which club would win the championship?
            If each club had perfect health for the entire playoffs, you would see a rematch between the Celtics and Lakers in the NBA Finals, with Boston winning in 6 games. Boston needs to get the O’Neals (Shaq and Jermaine) healthy to give them the bigs to compete with Los Angeles. If that happens, there will be no stopping Boston from winning their 18th title.



Tuesday, February 15, 2011

2011 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft, Round 2

Here is the 2nd round of my 2011 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft. Keep in mind that the goal here is to put together twelve 25-man teams (if you missed the first round, check out the most recent Sunday Draft).

2-13 = Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies – I would sign off on Utley from anywhere from pick 6 due to the position he plays. With this pick and David Wright at the end of round 1, team 12 would fill two of weaker spots on a fantasy roster with two excellent players.

2-14 = Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees – Sure he’s getting older, but he will still be hitting clean up in the middle of a powerful Yankees lineup. I would’ve had him in the early 3rd, but getting fed popcorn by an A-List actress during the Super Bowl bumped his draft stock up. He joins Ryan Braun on Team 11.

2-15 = Prince Fielder, 1B, Brewers – Similar to Pujols, I love the fact that Fielder is playing for a new contract. Unlike Pujols, Fielder’s hefty size (and rumored lack of ambition) would make me a little worried about using a pick this high on him. The first boom-or-bust player we’ve selected in the mock, Fielder joins Carl Crawford on Team 10.

2-16 = Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees – A safer pick than Fielder, but doesn’t have the same upside. I wouldn't complain about getting a guy who is a good bet to hit 35 homers with 120 RBIs at this point in the draft. He joins Roy Halladay on Team 9.

2-17 = Carlos Gonzalez, OF-LF-CF-RF, Rockies – Gonzalez was a monster last year. He hit .336 with 34 homers, 117 RBIs, and even through in 26 stolen bases for good measure. Production like that warrants a top-5 pick. So why do I have him this low?
            Gonzalez had a .384 BABIP average (BABIP stands for batting average on balls in play), which was the 3rd highest in the league. Furthermore, 20.4% of his fly balls (a little over one for every five, for those of you that are slow in the math department) went for home runs. Both of those numbers will be very difficult to maintain. Throw a reduction in those two categories with his very poor strikeout to walk ratio (135-40 last season), and you are looking at a guy who could be a lot less valuable in 2011 than he was in 2010. Would I fault anyone for taking a chance on him in the middle of the first round? No, but you won’t see me making that pick for either of my two teams this season.
            Gonzalez joins Joey Votto on Team 8.

2-18 = Josh Hamilton, OF-LF-CF, Rangers – Hamilton is similar to Gonzalez, but with the added risk of injury thrown in. He led the league last year in BABIP at .391. His plate discipline is a little better than Gonzalez, so his average shouldn’t fall much lower than .280. If you were to pick Hamilton at this point, and he were to stay healthy, there’s a good chance you could win your league. Hamilton joins Adrian Gonzalez on Team 7.

2-19 = Ryan Howard, 1B, Phillies – A regression in home runs last season means you will probably get Howard 7 or 8 picks later than you could’ve in 2010. He joins Evan Longoria on Team 6.

2-10 = Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners – The only reason Hernandez wouldn’t go as high as Halladay is the disparity between the quality of the Phillies and Mariners. Hernandez joins Hanley Ramirez on Team 5.

2-21 = Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Nationals – Washington may have paid Jayson Werth way too much money, but in terms of Ryan Zimmerman’s fantasy value, he should be invaluable. Zimmerman finally has someone else on his team the opposing pitcher will have to worry about. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Zimmerman put up 30 homers and 110 RBIs. He joins Troy Tulowitzki on Team 4.

2-22 = Matt Kemp, CF, Dodgers – Remember the discussion about Carlos Gonzalez earlier? Matt Kemp’s production the past two seasons is a perfect exhibit A for the case I was making for not using a high pick on Gonzalez.
            After putting up 26 homers, 101 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases (along with a .297 batting average) in 2009, Kemp was going anywhere from 4th through the 8th pick in the first round last season in fantasy drafts. Kemp rewarded owners with a disappointing .249 batting average. The only category of importance that went up was home runs (he hit 28), but he had less RBIs and stolen bases (89 and 19), and was even benched for a few games by then manager Joe Torre. One telling stat that could’ve predicted Kemp’s 2010 struggles was his terrible strikeout to walk ratio. In 2009, he struck out 139 times to only 52 walks. In 2010, his strikeouts jumped up to 170 with only 53 walks.
            With all that said, why would Kemp be this high then? The answer is simple…because of the same reason Carlos Gonzalez and Josh Hamilton were both picked a few spots earlier. Sure there is plenty of risk involved with these players, but if they play to their potential, you are getting guys that could end up being ranked in the top 5 at seasons end. The back half of the 2nd round is the appropriate time to take these sorts of risks (as opposed to say, the middle of the 1st). Kemp joins Robinson Cano on Team 3.

2-23 = Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals – The best pitcher in the majors that no one ever talks about. Wainwright teams up with Miguel Cabrera on Team 2.

2-24 = Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox – No matter where Pedroia hits in the Red Sox lineup (I’m hoping for second, although there are rumors he will be put in the leadoff spot), he has a chance for a .320-15-90-125-20 season. He joins Pujols on Team 1.