10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (1/31-2/2)

10. Fans Collapse From Heat Exhaustion Waiting For Trains to Super Bowl
            With the power of foresight, these fans could’ve just stayed home instead.

9. Pacers Sign Andrew Bynum

            If nothing else, he gives Indiana six more fouls from a competent big man. If he returns anything close to his peak form from his Lakers days, he’ll provide a massive lift to their bench unit.

8. Dale Jarrett Inducted Into NASCAR Hall of Fame

            The three-time winner of the Daytona 500 and 1999 Winston Cup Champion joins his father Ned, making the Jarrett’s the first father-son driving tandem in the NASCAR Hall. Jarrett was one of the supporting stars during NASCAR’s meteoric rise in the 1990s. We’ll rank the 1993 Daytona 500 (with his dad in the booth for CBS calling the finish) as our favorite DJ moment.

 

7. Both Barcelona, Manchester United Lose
            It’s not often that both of these clubs are defeated in the same weekend.

6. Kevin Durant’s 30-Point Streak Ends

            Fortunately for the current leader in the MVP race, his streak didn’t end because of poor play, but because the Thunder were destroying the Brooklyn Nets.

5. Walter Jones

4. Derrick Brooks           
3. Michael Strahan Voted in to Pro Football Hall of Fame
            The NFL inducted three more guys who were frequent members of No Credentials’ stacked Madden squads in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Other notable inductees were former Cardinals corner Aeneas Williams, Bills receiver Andre Reed, and Ray Guy, the first punter to ever make it to the Hall of Fame. For whatever reason, the NFL Hall of Fame induction announcement makes me feel like a fossil every year.
       
2. Syracuse Tops Duke in Overtime Thriller
            Duke’s first trip to the Carrier Dome ended up being what Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim described as the best game ever played in the arena. 

1. Seahawks Obliterate Denver

            I’ll say this for Denver…at least they didn’t get shut out.

State of the Lakers

            As someone who predicted Los Angeles to crush the Mavericks in five games, I couldn’t of been more surprised how the Lakers folded like a lawn chair against Dallas. Now that the dust has settled for a couple of days, let’s look at the key components of the Lakers and figure out where they go from here.

Derek Fisher, PG – Fisher’s basketball career needs to be put down like a dying dog. The offense the Lakers run doesn’t require much ball handling from the point guard, but they desperately need some speed and defense at the 1 (Lakers fans shouldn’t expect either of those traits to ever come from Steve Blake). Here’s a quick list of potential free agents that they might be able to sign for a low-risk contract.

Delonte West (BOS)

Jose Juan Barea (DAL, would make a ton of sense after Barea destroyed them during the sweep)

T.J. Ford (IND)

Anthony Carter (NY)

Ron Artest, SF – Los Angeles would’ve been much happier with acquiring Artest if they had done in it 2003 as opposed to 2009. He still has instincts on defense, but no longer has the speed to hang with athletic wings. Sadly for Lakers fans, he’s going to be owed another $22 million for the next three years. The best-case scenario would be forcing a club that wants Bynum or Gasol to take Artest along with him.

Lamar Odom, SF/PF – On one hand, Odom is a skilled big-man who can handle the ball and pound the boards. On the other, he’s starring in a reality show with a Kardashian. In spite of the television shenanigans, he should be a player they keep going forward. His versatility is much to valuable to give away in a panic trade.

Andrew Bynum, C – Supposedly, Bynum has the talent to develop into a franchise center. If I’m the Lakers, I’m calling Orlando everyday until a trade for Dwight Howard is in place (the worst kept secret in the NBA is that Howard wants to join the Lakers either via trade or as a free agent after next season).

Pau Gasol, PF/C – If internet rumor sites are to believed, a fellow Laker encouraging Pau’s girlfriend to break up with Pau is the reason for Gasol’s struggles in the playoffs. If that Laker was anyone that doesn’t have the last name of “Bryant”, I would be shipping that Laker out of town ASAP. Gasol is too gifted an offensive player to be discarded for 25 cents on the dollar.

Kobe Bryant, SG – Here’s two things I can definitively say after watching Bryant play for the past month.

1. Bryant no longer has the ability to consistently get to the rim.
2. He ain’t no Jordan (this should be obvious, but I’ll say it for die-hard Lakers fans. MJ never would’ve let his team quit like they did in Game 4 against the Mavericks. Or for that matter, Game 6 of the 2008 Finals against Boston).

             Bryant still has life in him. No one will benefit from the upcoming lockout more than him (after the NBA Finals, there probably will not be a NBA game until January). The biggest question for him will be if he accepts being the second best player on a team that also could feature Dwight Howard within a year or two.

Phil Jackson, Head Coach – Phil is going to be smoking tons of pot in Montana. Unless the Knicks offer him $50 million to coach for the 2012-13 season, we’ll never see the Zen Master on the bench again.