Point Guard's Not Worth High Pick in Draft?

Here is a story from Scott Howard-Cooper on SI.com that says it doesn't make sense to draft point guards too high in the draft because they are not the deciding factors in the Finals.

If you haven't read it yet it basically says that the point guards on all the Championship teams since 1994 were only minor parts of the team.

Here is that list:

2009 -- Derek Fisher - Lakers
2008 -- Rajon Rondo - Celtics
2007 -- Tony Parker - Spurs
2006 -- Jason Williams - Heat
2005 -- Tony Parker - Spurs
2004 -- Chauncey Billups - Pistons
2003 -- Tony Parker - Spurs
2002 -- Derek Fisher and Lindsey Hunter - Lakers
2001 -- Derek Fisher - Lakers
2000 -- Ron Harper - Lakers
1999 -- Avery Johnson - Spurs
1998 -- Ron Harper - Bulls
1997 -- Ron Harper - Bulls
1996 -- Ron Harper - Bulls
1995 -- Kenny Smith - Rockets
1994 -- Kenny Smith with Sam Cassell - Rockets


No remember that I am not an NBA expert but personally I think you have to keep a couple things in mind when looking at the teams that DID win those years.

All those teams had another star or two that helped win the title. The Rockets had Drexler and Olajuwon....Bulls had Michael and Scottie....Spurs had Robinson, Duncan, and others...Lakers had Shaq, Kobe, and Pau.....the Heat had Dwayne and Shaq....and the Celtics had Pierce, KG, and Allen.

So really the point guard didn't matter on any of those teams. But I would say this....without Billups the Pistons don't win and without Parker I think the Spurs struggle mightily a few years.

I think the point of his article is that a point guard doesn't guarantee anything....well no shit! But who else do you take??

Basically it ends like this....you need either 2 stars (Shaq/Kobe) or 1 start and 2 very good players (Duncan/Parker/Ginobili or Kobe/Pau/Lamar) to win a title in the NBA.

But the point guard CAN BE one of the players. If you put another really good player with Chris Paul and David West and you have a LEGITIMATE title contender.

So I would absolutely take one of the point guards that are highly regarded in this years draft if that was the best player available. A really great point guard (Chauncey Billups) will make any team better.


Proof...how did Detroit do after Billups left and how did the Nuggets do before he got there??

It's Been a While

Wow has it really been over 3 weeks since something was posted here??

Well I am back...I might be flying solo now as I am not sure Verb is coming back but I am going to try and post something at least a couple times a week.


Today's topic:

The NBA Finals



If you have ever read this blog before you know that I don't think very highly of the NBA. I don't watch any regular season games and I very rarely watch any games at all...even the finals.

But this year I find myself intrigued by the Finals matchup. Dwight Howard has become a fan favorite due to his performances in the Dunk Contest and the Lakers are well...they are the Lakers.

Personally though I am interested to see if Jameer Nelson can play. I remember his senior year at St. Joe's when he took them deep into the NCAA Tourney. Being that I live less then 2 hours from Philly it was good to see them get that far. And then Nelson got destroyed by the "experts" about his NBA abilities....well....now how do you feel about his skills?

I am probably like most of the people in this country in my rooting interests...

GO MAGIC!

A Use For The NBA

I finally found a use for the NBA last night....

I couldn't fall asleep last night so I turned on the playoff game that was on (Denver/New Orleans I believe)....

And I was out in seconds!!!

NFL Draft Talk and Other Happenings

I have been really busy of late and haven't had a ton of time to post here but with the draft coming up I figured I should say something.

So here it is....the GM Says:

1. Lots of talk lately about who the Lions will (or should) take with the first pick. I heard someone say that they shouldn't take Stafford cause the risk is too big. If he fails it will destroy the franchise. Really? Can it get any worse?

I really hate the idea of taking a quarterback #1 overall because they cost too freaking much and rarely pan out. BUT in this case maybe it makes sense. I mean if he fails is it really that big of a deal....they can't get any worse....

Can they??

2. Baseball is already getting boring. How anyone can sit there and actually watch a game is beyond me. Whether you are there in person or at home watching in HD it is brutal to watch without great conversation....and if you are having great conversation does the game really need to be on?

3. Someone asked me if I saw what was going on in the NBA Playoffs the other day. I responded with, "the NBA is still going on?"

4. But we did talk some NHL playoffs which has to be the best Playoff setup in sports. There are 2 tournaments that are better. 1 is the NCAA tournament (the first weekend at least) and the 2nd is the World Cup. The NHL Playoffs are great and there is so much action that you can't possibly follow it all.

I have watched at least 1 game a day since the start last Wednesday. My Capitals started slowly but are picking up their play lately and can tie up the series with a win tonight. And the Flyers are down 3 games to 1 which is almost like waking up on Christmas morning and seeing the presents under the tree. When they lose on Thursday and head home to Canada eh, it will be like opening the presents!


Is there anything else happening in sports??? I didn't think so.

From the New York Knicks to...

I was going to do a review of the first week or so of the baseball season but really, has there been anything to write home about? Maybe how the Marlins are playing but honestly, I thought they were going to be good. Cleveland has been bad and that's surprising but I am a positive guy so I don't think I am going to point that out with a whole post. Other then that it's been a pretty ho-hum start to the season.

So, I heard another story yesterday that really surprised me and I really don't know what to think about it. Florida International announced yesterday that they had hired Isiah Thomas as their head basketball coach. At first I was like what? That's ridiculous, why would either parties agree to this? I thought about it and I realized it may not be a lose lose.

First, for FIU, this is a splash. This is a way to give themselves some sort of edge against they teams they may play. Isiah is a huge name but I'm worried that it was a huge name back in the 80's and 90's and the players he is going to be recruiting aren't really going to know what is in front of them. He will be able to sell to the parents but again, its FIU, so really what is he going to be going after.

For Isiah, however, there is much more risk. I know he wanted to get out of New York because of EVERYTHING that happened but it's FIU. You aren't going to have good players and if you fail, where do you go next? You have never coached college kids and even though you were horrible in the NBA, college is a whole different animal. If you were going to take a college job, why would it be this one?

I just don't know if it was the smartest move for Isiah and I know he will have a chance to answer all my questions. I guess this is what we should've expected from him and I wish him all the best but I would advise him to not expect much!

Wait.....What??

A couple days ago Verb tried to tell you that there is stuff going on in sports. He is full of it.

We all know that February, along with July, are the worst months for sports in the entire year. And honestly August isn't too much better but it helps that football is right around the corner and at least there are preseason games to get a minute or two of football each week.

I mean what you could possibly be excited about right now?

The Combine. Please. It is the biggest farce in the whole draft process. Every year a player comes in and puts on this great show and is all of a sudden a can't miss prospect. And half of the players don't even do anything anymore. They would rather save themselves for their schools pro day in the spring where the conditions are more favorable for them.

The NBA. Why now? If you have a favorite team and you follow them than sure you are excited all season. But for anyone else the NBA doesn't matter right now. Hell just look at the trade deadline yesterday. All month we had heard rumors about big names on the block and then the day came and went with nothing much happening.

And the games are relatively boring. I mean this is the most top heavy league in all of sports. You have about 5 teams that have a legitimate shot at the finals and everyone knows it. And the thing with the NBA is that upsets don't usually happen in the playoffs. The favorites generally make it. So why watch the season?

The NHL. Same as the NBA. If you have a team that you follow it will surely be exciting but for the most part fans are waiting for the playoffs. Add to that the limited number of fans and you have no excitement.

Nascar. Yawn!! I enjoy a little racing from time to time. Usually I can watch the races at tracks like Daytona or Talladega because they are exciting the whole time. But this past Sunday I couldn't even stay awake for the Daytona 500. And the damn thing ended halfway through. The sport (or whatever you want to call it) is barely watchable.

College Basketball. Is it March? We all know the regular season of college basketball is pretty meaningless. I enjoy watching a few minutes of a few games but for the most part there is only 1 game per week that is really worth watching. Now in a few weeks it will be the most amazing thing going on but right now.....Yawn!

Baseball. Who cares about A-Rod? I mean other than all the talking heads on tv does anyone else care? Sure Red Sox fans are in heaven and Yankee fans are pissed but me...I don't give a damn. Half the players cheated in that time frame and it doesn't bother me. But then again I am not a traditionalist and couldn't care less who the home run king is.

And spring training hasn't truly started yet. Like College BB this sport really gets going in March. Until then...let me sleep.


Other than that what is going on? Someone give me something. Come March the excitement returns but February might just be the 2nd worst month for sports all year.

The GM Says....2/9

A-Rod is a former steroids user.....you surprised?

I am sure you have heard about this and you surely have your own opinion. But here is mine. Steroids were all over the place when this happened (2003) and it doesn't bother me at all. If these guys wanted (or want) to mess up their bodies and futures with steroids than by all means go ahead. The only problem I have with it is with young kids taking it. So illegal is good for me. My problem with THIS particular story is that ARod hasn't admitted it yet. Today ARod should come out and apologize and accept that it happened. IF he does that it will be much better for him and baseball.

Kobe outperforms Lebron in Cleveland.....so what!

I still say Lebron is better. Sure he struggled from the floor and Kobe's team won. But look at the stats. Lebron did more for his team than Kobe. Lebron scored 16 points and had 12 assists meaning he participated in 40 points for the Cavs. Kobe scored 19 and had 2 assists for 23 points. And you throw in the rebounds (8 for Lebron and 3 for Kobe) and you see that Lebron did more than Kobe. The Lakers won cause Lamar Odom had one of his few good games per season.

Warner says Boldin's decision will make his easier......have fun in retirement Kurt!

Kurt Warner told the media yesterday that if Anquan Boldin decides to stay with Arizona then his decision will be easier. *translation - If Boldin comes back, Warner comes back.* But I don't think Anquan wants to stay in Arizona. Why would he? I mean after maybe one or two more seasons in the league Kurt will be gone and Matty Leinart will be the man. Would you want to stay there when other teams want to pay you more?

Tiger welcomes second child, a son.....the future savior of golf arrives.

Come on Tiger get the kid some clubs already. If you could get him out there on the course soon you could make millions, oh wait you already have millions. Well you could do good for him. Congrats Tiger, and thank you. Raise him to be a golfer so we can all enjoy the sport after you retire. Without him golf will never survive.

NASCAR season started this past weekend....did you tune in?

I did for a couple minutes. Saturday night was the Bud Shooutout with is just 28 cars for 75 laps at Daytona which is one of two tracks, the other being Talladega, where the action is actually enough to keep me awake for HALF the race. After watching that race I have this to say, if you like crashes...tune in next Sunday for the 500. Cause there are gonna be lots of em. Oh and Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. will be on the front row to start (which means absolutely nothing at Daytona).

LeBron or Kobe?

Everyone needs to remember that New York doesn't play any defense at all but I still want to compare the two performances and tell you which performance I think was better.

Kobe had 61 points, which is the most ever in the Garden and he did it first.

Then LeBron went for 52 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. He did it second but that my friends is a triple double. Now I know he got his 10th rebound with 2 seconds left but its still at triple double and still would've been great if he got 9 rebounds.

Those are the pure stat lines but now I want to talk about the stuff beyond the stat sheet. They say Lebron is playing better defense this year. That's awesome but Kobe is a perennial all-NBA defensive player so Lebron can play better D all he wants but Kobe is still right there with him.

Lebron played a few more minutes but to me that really doesn't make a huge difference.

Kobe had just lost Bynum the night before and Gasol was his only real helper.

Lebron has Mo Williams, and Zydrunas is back.

Kobe didn't miss as many shots and didn't miss any free throws.

I think both of these guys had incredible games and I think they are the two best players in the NBA but when I break down the two performances against each other, I have to take Lebron in this one.

I will always take a triple double over straight scoring. 61 is a lot, but so is 52. Lebron just did everything else too!

The GM Says....2/5

Another day and a few more sports stories that you want to hear my opinion on.


McNabb calls out defense.....this is not good.

I don't know how many of you have seen this but Donovan McNabb recently basically called out the defense about the Cardinals drive that won the NFC. IF (and in the media it is a big IF) he actually said exactly what they are reporting AND he didn't say anything else than this is not good for Eagles fans. I think D-Nabb is usually pretty good with the words and generally doesn't cross his teammates so I am going to assume that he said something else or the words are being taken out of context. BUT D-Nabb himself better come out and say that publicly or this is going to end badly with Philly fans.

The Dukies lose badly.....and I would be worried if I were a Duke fan.

Most people will say that the regular season isn't that important and a loss isn't a big deal since everyone is going to do it. BUT for Duke this just shows that they can't survive when they miss three pointers. Which is the exact same thing that has doomed them in the past few years. Now obviously their defense and overall play is better than recent years but they still live and die with the 3 ball and when it isn't falling they run into trouble. I personally thought they were past that but it does not appear that they are.

Bechham wants to play in Italy.....who can blame him?

I have read and heard numerous opinions about how little Becks has achieved here in the States and I think most of the people saying that are idiots. They say he hasn't scored many goals.....well no shit....he isn't a forward you idiots. He plays midfield which is not where most goal scorers play. Beckham's skill has always been to set up the forwards not to score goals himself. I think he has done something for soccer here in the States but a sustained success on the World level would do more.

Chiefs TE wants to stay but RB wants to go.....good, give them what they want!

Tony Gonzalez wants to remain a Chief but Larry Johnson wants to go elsewhere. I say good! Gonzalez can still play and Johnson hasn't been good or healthy in a few years. So trade or release LJ and move on. There are backs out there that can fill in for him. But keeping him is probably not a good idea. He isn't a team player most of the time anyway and he surely isn't one when he isn't happy.

James scores 52 at Garden.....he is the best player right now.

I am not saying he is the best ever or even in the conversation, although he might be someday, BUT right now he is the best all around player in the NBA. He is a scorer, his defense has improved, he can pass with anyone, AND maybe most importantly he is a great leader. Since his first game he has carried the Cavs on his back. And as good as Kobe is he wasn't able to get it done without Shaq or another top notch player.

Tiger says he is almost back.....thank god cause golf sucks without him.

I don't watch a lot of golf to begin with but when Tiger isn't competing for the championship I don't watch at all. The US Open last year was amazing and watching the Masters when Tiger is playing late on Sunday is great to watch. But watching anyone else....I couldn't care less.

The GM Says....

• Denver.....good for you. It was time to let Mike go. He has been a tremendous coach for your franchise but not good enough the past couple of years. His system just isn't working anymore. The small offensive line is getting pushed around and his defensive team is terrible. Go get Bill Cowher. He wants to be GM and you allowed it with Mike. So let Bill come coach and this team WILL make the playoffs next season.
• Buffalo....time will tell. I think you are putting a lot of faith in Jauron. Yeah I know the team was like 5-0 this season but it was just a mirage. The pieces are coming together but you are still a few players away from competing. But I can understand keeping him on.
• Jets....ouch! Bill Cowher doesn't want to coach your team. HAHA! Actually I think the coaching thing would be fine but he is only going to come if you fire your GM which you probably aren't going to do. So now what....you gonna hire Romeo Crennel since the Browns are talking the Mangini. Should we just play musical coaches? Go hard for Steve Spagnola....he will be a difference maker.
• 49ers....excellent decision. Mike Martz and Singletary are not compatible. There was no reason to keep a has been coordinator on the staff. Go out and find an innovative ambitious younger guy to build the offense that he wants. Just give the coaching staff time to turn things around. You can't be firing guys every 2 years and expect to win.

• Oregon....impressed. I am impressed with the way you handled Okie State. I know it wasn't a completely dominating performance but it was very good. I thought the Cowboys were the better team and I thought they would win. Maybe if Dez Bryant doesn't get hurt they do but Jeremiah Masoli is the real deal at quarterback...he will be good next year.
• Western Michigan....what?? Where was the offense? You were going up against one of the worst defenses in the entire country and you managed 14 points! I really thought this game would be a much better game to watch but alas the Texas Bowl again fails to fulfill. Good thing you were only on the NFL network and I got to watch the Holiday bowl instead.
• Robert Marve....bye bye! You just did Miami a favor. Jacory Harris out played you all season when he was comfortable. The problem was that he wasn't comfortable most of the season. But with you transferring he can come in as the starter and not have to worry about anything. Miami WILL CONTEND for the ACC Championship next season without you!

• Celtics....do you suck now? All of a sudden you look human and beatable. I got bad news for fans out there....I don't think this is just a road trip slump. I think teams are learning what it takes to beat them and it will continue when they return home. You are still one of the best teams in the league but you better fix whatever ails you or come playoff time you will be in trouble.

• College Basketball.....I guess I should watch now. I haven't really been paying much attention to the college basketball season but apparently I should be. Top teams are losing all over the place as 4 Oklahoma went down yesterday in a blaze to Arkansas. And Purdue lost as well. This after UConn lost the other day. With the exception of North Carolina are there any other great teams out there?

• NHL....I am trying. I am trying to follow the NHL more as I am a huge hockey fan but because the sport is so crappy on TV I find myself not knowing anyone in the Western Conference. I know my Capitals are doing very well having won 9 of 10 but I don't know anything else. But maybe you will get me tomorrow with the Winter Classic. I thought last year's sucked to be honest cause the hockey was terrible but I am hoping the weather cooperates for you tomorrow at Wrigley field.

The GM Says....

• Northwestern....so close! You almost really helped the Big Ten's reputation. I would say that you did good and you proved that the Big Ten is better than people think BUT you lost. And at the end of all the bowl games that is the only thing people will care about. They won't care that you controlled the game against Missouri and you slowed down Chase Daniel. They will only care that the Big Ten lost.
• Andre Smith....oops. Apparently you are going pro after this season. From the sound of things you are basically already a pro. You will NOT be playing in the Sugar Bowl on Friday because you allegedly had improper contact with an agent. You need to be more discreet in your conduct big man. But good news for you....Todd McShay says you are the #2 player on the board for the draft. Enjoy your millions!!
• Auburn....pretty good signing. Yesterday you signed Gus Malzahn to run your offense. I like it. He is the guy behind the dynamic Tulsa offense this season and he should get the Auburn offense moving again. But isn't this his third school in like 3 years? Do you think he will stay long? I think he is after a coaching job and this is the next step....but use him for a couple years and get the offense scoring again.

• Roger Goodell....what??? Why move the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl? Do you think more people will tune in if you move it? Don't count on it. It doesn't matter when it is...no one gives a damn. It is a crappy game that players barely want to play in and fans surely don't want to see. Keep the game in Hawaii the weekend after the Super Bowl. If you want to boost ratings do a skills competition the day before and some people will tune in but not many.
• Coaches....watch out. Dick Jauron....you could be next. Guys like Marvin Lewis, Mike Shanahan, Herm Edwards, Jon Gruden, and Jim Zorn.....you all could be fired in the coming weeks. If I were you I would be getting my resume updated and get ready to look for work. Some of you are more likely to be fired than others but all of you should be concerned.

• Baron Davis....stay in LA. You made the decision in the offseason to sign with the Clippers and now you can suck it up and play hard every night for them. You say you want to go back (or that you would be OPEN to returning) to the Warriors but if that is the case why did you leave? Oh because you thought Elton Brand would stay there and you two could win a title....HAHA!! Oh well.

• Hoyas....big win. That is a very big and very good win for the Hoyas last night in Connecticut. UConn was the #2 team in the country and they just LOST on their home floor. Not good. It raises big questions about their team and also strengthens the feelings that the Big East is head and shoulders above the other conferences.

Verb's Blurb's - 12/29

Verb's Blurb's is going to be a column that gives me the chance to write about things that may not be coming from the big 3 sports or in some case's may be coming from there but may not be worthy of an entire post.

It will be things that are note-worthy but may not appeal to all of you fans. Stuff that I see or read or hear about that I think are worth sharing but if you don't see or care about it, I totally understand.

Today will be my first episode of hopefully many to come.

Here goes nothing!

MMA - I saw the Forrest Griffin/Rashad Evans fight last night and it was good. I think I am losing interest in the whole cage fighting thing. I thought I was a big fan of Griffin's but last night I watched what probably will be seen as a great fight and I was only slightly entertained. The best part of the night for me was the interview with Griffin afterwards. If you get a chance to see it, its hilarious!

College Basketball - Gonzaga played great against Connecticut and then went out and lost to Portland State. Really? Is Gonzaga overrated? How can this team really be considered a top team in the country when it loses to teams like Portland State. I really thought the Zags were that good but now I really wonder. Mark Few better get his team back together or the Zags might not win their own conference.

NBA - I tried watching the NBA on Christmas and it was a real struggle for me. However, the Celtics had won 19 in a row before then and were off to the best start in franchise history. They went to L.A. and Kobe and the Lakers ended that streak. The interesting thing for me now is whether or not the Celtics can stay on pace to be the best team ever and whether or not they will win 70 games. I do think this year's team is better then last years and that spells trouble for the rest of the league.

Baseball - Mark Teixiera reportedly went to the Yankees and asked if he could play there. The Yankees had reportedly withdrawn their offer. I don't buy any of it. The Yankees have now signed arguably the three best free agents on the market to ridiculous contracts. I think its stupid as I have said before and I hope they lose every game they play!

Nascar - AJ Allmendinger is replacing Elliot Sadler Gillette Evernham racing. I knew Allmendinger was going to get a ride but I did not see this coming at all. In the same report, Ray Evernham may be leaving the organization. I don't know if they are directly related but man, this is a huge change for a team that really hasn't done much since they have started.

An Emerging Star...

I know its the NBA and all but I think there is a guy that is emerging as a star that people need to start paying attention to.

I know the Celtics are great and that's a huge story but you have all heard about that already.

I know Lebron and the Cavs have been awesome too but again, we all know about that.

The Lakers are good and Kobe is in the zone but here is probably someone you haven't heard about but you need to start paying attention.

He plays for the Trailblazers but he isn't 7 foot tall. I am not saying anything about Greg Oden. I still think he is going to be good but easily the best player on the Trailblazers and in my opinion one of the best players in the league is Brandon Roy.

Last night against the Phoenix Suns, he scored 52 points. Now, I know everyone can have a great scoring game every once in awhile but this guy also had 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Oh and he plays defense.

He isn't going to score 52 points a game but he can definitely average 25 a game and 5 boards and 5 assists. Those are great numbers. Like I said too, he is a shut down defender which shows that the guy loves the game and will do anything to help his team win.

I am a huge fan of this guy and I think if any of you get a chance to see him, check him out.

I think you will be very impressed!

The GM Says.....

• Did Auburn make the right choice? I don't know. I don't think it is as bad as everyone seems to think it is BUT only time will tell. I will say this though.....no one is going to have as much success as Tuberville had.
• Former (as of yesterday) Ball State coach Brady Hoke will be the new head coach at San Diego State. Is that really a promotion? It seems pretty lateral to me. I know he is getting paid more but he has a better chance of winning and gaining a better job at a better school by staying at Ball State. SDS plays in the MWC with Utah, BYU, and TCU. Interesting decision.
  
• Syracuse can't beat mid-major basketball teams at home. Last night they lost to Cleveland State at the buzzer. This outcome didn't surprise me since Syracuse regularly loses to teams they should beat and Cleveland State has been pretty good in recent years. But the shot to win it was nice!
• Redskins coach Jim Zorn feels like "the worst coach in America". Well there is a reason for that.....you are. You got away from your bread and butter (running game) over the past few weeks and have basically given up on one of the best running backs in the league.
  
• Haynesworth is OUT for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. Which means the Titans will lose BOTH of their remaining games....to Pittsburgh and Indy.
• Karma for Pat Williams of the Vikings. He got out of his suspension on technicalities and stuff but now he is out with a broken shoulder for 2-6 weeks. The Vikings will still make the playoffs but losing P. Williams is gonna weaken their chances of getting anywhere in the playoffs.
• NBA coaches are being fired every few days. The Kings fired coach Reggie Theus after a 6-18 start to the season. That's fine with me if the coach had been around for a while. But Theus was only the head coach for 1 full season. You have to give a guy some time to get everything going.
• Anyone care about the Arena league not playing in 2009? Yeah, me neither.
• Tiger's caddie calls Mickelson a prick. This would be a really interesting story if we were headed towards the Master's or something like that. But a golf story in December...who cares!
• The San Jose Sharks are playing great hockey right now. They have set a new standard for teams in the first 30 games of the season. Unfortunately for the Sharks though...it isn't the first 30 games that matter....it's the last 30 games!
  

The Big Apple, eh?

The Knicks just traded away three guys with monster salaries for 3 more years for three guys with expiring contracts.

I know this happened a few days ago but I wanted to see LeBron play in New York before I really got a feel for this entire situation.

I understand what the Knicks are trying to do here and really with Mike D'Antoni's style the three guys they got in the trades are perfect for this team. I really don't think they were bad trades for the present day Knicks. But let's be honest with ourselves, did this trade have anything to do with the present day Knicks?

I don't think so!

In 2010 there might be the best free agent class in the history of basketball. LeBron James is the big name but listen to the rest...Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire...Really? The Knicks are actually talking about being able two land not just one of these 4 guys but TWO! Could you imagine LeBron with Bosh or Stoudemire. That's crazy. I mean all due respect to Zyndrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao but seriously!

There is one minor detail however. The Knicks are assuming that none of these guys are going to go back to their current teams. I know LeBron is from Akron and not Cleveland but its the same state. 2010 is two seasons away. If some of these teams bring in help before the aforementioned off-season the Knicks may be stuck with a whole lot of money and not many guys to give it to.

I am just saying...that's all!

What do I think will happen?

LeBron will end up in New York, even if none of the other guys do. He loves NYC and he loves the Garden. I am not saying its a guarantee but if I were a betting man, which I'm obviously not, I would bet on it.

And as for the current Knicks, if I were Donnie Walsh, I would've made the moves to. It just seems worth it at this point, doesn't it?

I said it didn't matter but...

I know on last weeks podcast we tried to bring up the NBA but the GM and I both decided it really didn't matter other then the fact that Allen Iverson got traded. If you want our opinions about that trade listen to the show. I must admit before I get too far into this post that I could probably list my one fantasy NBA team and the players I have and that would be as much as I have followed.

I do have one thing I would like to point out however. I was looking at NBA.com today and happened to click on the standings page. I seem to have this belief that if I check the standings then I can at least know who is good just in case someone asks me a question about something. Well when I look at the standings, I was incredibly surprised by something.

What you ask?

There are two undefeated teams still in the NBA. Can you name them? Well I could've named one and that one is the L.A. Lakers. Everyone predicted they were going to be good and it seems like so far they have lived up to the hype. I don't know who they have played but it seems as though this team is already clicking. They still have Gasol, they got Bynum back and Kobe is still Kobe. This team being undefeated right now doesn't surprise me at all.

What does surprise me is the other undefeated team. I will give you three guesses and this is what my three guesses would have been.

1. Boston Celtics. This team is really really good still and Paul Pierce is playing great (on my fantasy team) but this is not the team. They are really close though with a very impressive 7-1 record.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers. We all know how good Lebron is so I guessed this but then remembered they lost to Boston on opening night so immediately I knew I was wrong. They are however, 5-2 so at least I knew they were good.

3. New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul with get MVP votes again and I just thought that with the way this team played at the end of last year that they would be solid contenders. I also wasn't sure if they had played the Lakers yet. Seemed like a logical guess but they are currently 4-2 and not the right choice.

So who is the other undefeated (Drum Roll please!)...

THE ATLANTA HAWKS!

That's right fans, its not a misprint, the Atlanta Hawks are currently 5-0. I couldn't believe it either. For my entire 25 year old life, I have been a sports fan. For at least 10 to 15 of those years I have been a casual fan of the NBA and it seemed like the Hawks were never good. I know they were good when they had Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb won a dunk contest once but really, I don't remember that and since I can remember this team has been awful. I know they were the 8 seed in the playoffs last year but in the Eastern conference that probably means they finished the regular season with about 30 wins. They are a 6th of the way there already and haven't lost a game. This is also the team that lost their guy to Italy in the offseason.

This has to be the biggest surprise of the young NBA season and I hadn't heard a word about it yet. Hopefully I just let the cat out of the bag and maybe the Hawks will start getting talked about more. I hope they keep it up because every once in awhile, I love rooting for the underdog!

The Best of the Worst!

We talked last night on the podcast (which you have to listen to because its awesome) about what the worst franchise in professional sports was and I had some ideas but right now I am going to break it down in the 4 major sports of the worst and maybe the second worst in each.

Lets start with everyone's favorite, the NFL!

The worst franchise in my opinion in the NFL is the Detroit Lions. It may just be that because they are in the news for this right now that its easy to pick them but 1 playoff game in 57 years. Are you serious? The last good quarterback they had and this is very questionable was Scott Mitchell. Herman Moore was awesome and Barry Sanders could've been the best running back ever but he quit in his prime maybe because he just didn't want to play for the Lions anymore. If that is the case I think this just validates my argument even more. Its not like Detroit is a city for losers, the Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers have all won championships. The Lions have never even been close! Oh and by the way, its doesn't look like its going to happen anytime soon either!

The only other two that may take the cake here are the Oakland Raiders, although they have been to a few Superbowls, and the Arizona Cardinals because they have never really played an important game either. I may put the Houston Texans into this argument in a few years but they are too young right now to have in here. The Cleveland Browns left and came back so that creates a big grey area so I will leave them alone here also.

Lets move on to Major League Baseball.

This one is harder because baseball has been around for so long and each team has made some sort of run in their long histories so I am going to go with recent histories here and say that there are three that are really close to bottom and really hard to split.

The three are the Texas Rangers, the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. None of these teams have even been close to competitive in the last 15 years. I think I would have to put (my favorite team) Texas at the bottom because they have never played for a world series ever! The other two have won some even though they were a really long time ago. It depresses me to write this actually but I still hold out hope that someday maybe I will get to see a game in Texas in October.

The Rays were close too but with the season they have had this year it makes the last 5 years of waiting all worth it down at the Trop.

Now to the Hard courts and no not Tennis, the NBA.

Charlotte is too young of franchise for me to group them in here so that leaves 3. I am still debating as I type but the three are: the Memphis (formerly Vancouver) Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks. Willis Reid may save the Knicks here again, actually, wait, he is coming out of the tunnel now and yes, Willis Reid just kept the Knicks out of the bottom of this list. The leaves is up to the Grizzlies or the Clippers for last place here. Lets go to the Lottery for this one. We will spin the big wheel and just see what comes out. What do we have? Well fans, the Clippers had the highest percentage chance of being the worst franchise in the NBA but well, the balls were spun and just like always the team with the highest percentage didn't win and the Memphis Grizzlies came out as the worst franchise in the NBA with the Clippers coming out second.

Whats the 4th major sport you ask? Its Hockey you idiots, well its really the NBA on this website so you better get used it!

GM is the resident hockey expert here fans so he may know better then I. I am just getting into it and really do like it so lets give it a shot.

OK, from my limited knowledge of the game I am going to go with the Florida Panthers here. I will be totally honest about something. I went to nhl.com and actually had to hold my mouse on some of the logos because I didn't recognize them to match them to the teams.

So, there were some teams like the Predators and the Thrashers and the Blue Jackets that in my mind are too young to even consider here.

The Panthers are it and here is why. They have only made the playoffs like once or twice in their existence and it didn't seem last year like they are close to making it soon. There are no other franchises that have had this long of a time of losing and not really doing anything to change it. Again the GM will be able to give you more information on this if you would like it but for now this is my decision and I am sticking too it!

So there ya have it, the worst franchises in the 4 major sports!

Congratulations! (I think)


The GMs Thoughts:

NFL - Oakland is the worst mainly because Al Davis is an idiot. If he wasn't there maybe the team would be relevant because there is some good tradition. He is running this team into the ground currently and I don't know if they will come back until he is gone.

MLB - I would have to say the Kansas City Royals are the worst. My reason would be that they don't even produce any young talent. At least Pittsburgh has traded away some younger guys that have helped other teams. The Royals can't do anything right.

NBA - Currently I have to go with the Knicks. They are a joke and aren't getting any better soon.

NHL - Hockey is tougher but I think I will go with Toronto for right now. This could and probably will change by the end of the year. But I look more at the state of the franchise more than history or recent success. And Toronto doesn't have real good prospects currently. LA, St. Louis, and Florida were considered but they are all developing good players and could actually make the playoffs this year.