March Madness+Labor Unrest

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages, the greatest time of the year is upon us: March Madness. And it appears as though this could be one of the more hectic and crazy tournaments in recent years. While the sports world is abuzz with the NFL lockout and the NBA has gained huge amounts of popularity, there is not one sports fan who will deny their love for the next month. This year is especially great because of the influx of parody into the sport. Anyone can beat anyone (except maybe UAB who proved on Tuesday that the selection committee messed up big time) which makes this tournament unpredictable, which makes it great. We already got a slight glimpse when UNC Asheville and Arkansas Little Rock started the tournament off with a thrilling overtime game (OK, fine, maybe not "thrilling" since no one gave two shits but cut me some slack). Either way the Madness is underway and I can guarantee at least one of my six brackets could possibly be good.

Anyone that tells you, especially this year, that they are confident in their picks is full of poopy and lots of it. I have loads of confidence (no PUN intended) and I'm confident I may not get an elite eight team. Let me just say, right off the bat, that I picked Kansas. I do every year because of my love for the Jayhawks as a team and there is absolutely no emotional connection, strictly business. Chances are they'll lose to UNLV in the second round but thank god they're not playing Bucknell (check out the link). That pleasure goes to Uconn. Don't be suprised to see an upset or Kemba to score 80 points and Bucknell to lose by thirty but should be fun either way.

Lets also talk about the selection committee because they deserve some credit for being lichreally moronic. I think Jay Bilas may have hit the nail on the head like twenty times during his rant but it's important to note how ridiculous these decisions were. To be honest it seemed as though Colorado (three wins over Kansas State as well as wins over Texas and Missouri) was penalized for being in a good conference. It appeared as though the committee felt Colorado shouldn't be rewarded because their wins came in-conference. Did Colorado have a weak non-conference schedule? Yes, Absolutely. But simply put, look at their wins! Is it an advantage to play in the Big 12 as opposed to Conference USA? Probably. Colorado gets more chances at beating tournament teams than UAB. But that does not mean they should be penalized for doing so? No. UAB lost to Arizona State and Georgia, got blown out by Duke, and lost twice to Memphis. Their best wins? Arkansas (who just fired their coach) and VCU. The bottom line is that UAB should not have made it over Virginia Tech and Colorado but it should also be noted that the latter teams can heap part of the blame. Colorado lost to San Fransisco and New Mexico and VA Tech, after beating Duke, lost to fellow bubble teams Clemson and Boston College in back to back games. Easily one of the softest, if not the softest in tournament history.

So let's look at the bracket starting with the Southeast. This part of the bracket terrifies me. Pittsburgh may advance simply because of a lack of competition. I see a Florida team at the two seed who just lost to Kentucky (a 4 seed, WTF) and essentially beat no one in the non conference and was the beneficiary of a very weak SEC. Florida was blown out by Ohio St, lost to Jacksonville and UCF, and their two "good" wins were Kansas St (before they started streaking) and Xavier (before they started streaking). BYU is also a team that looks a lot worse since the suspension of Brandon Davies after he shockingly had sex with his girlfriend (that sentence is not a joke).http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/mwest/2011-03-03-byu-davies-honor-code_N.htm The results are telling. We'll give them a break for losing to New Mexico directly after hearing the news but this team is different and substantially worse. They beat San Diego St twice in the regular season and then lost without Davies in MWC tournament final. Don't be surprised by a quick exit. Also, the four and five seeds, Wisconsin and Kansas State respectively, have very tough matchups and both teams are, for lack of a better word, mediocre. Both teams face opponents with 30 win seasons and Utah State is horribly underseeded at 12. All i have to say about Wisconsin is they scored 33 points in a game. An entire game. Definitely not a team I'm picking.http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031111aac.html. St. Johns lost their best player and I certainly don't see UCLA making a run. Michigan St, even though they were pretty bad this year, may still have some magic at a ten seed. Either way Pittsburgh seems like the only legitimate contender in this part.

West: Duke looks very good and seems to have a pretty easy pass to the Elite Eight setting up a likely meeting with San Diego State. Side Note*  After watching the "Fab Five" documentary on ESPN, I'm now a big fan of Steve Fischer (San Diego State Coach, former Michigan coach) and he is a great coach and don't be surprised to see them in the final four.* Obviously Connecticut is a threat with Kemba and don't sleep on Missouri. They're terrible on the road and great at home so maybe we'll get something in the middle on a neutral court, which may be good enough to win a couple games. If you're wondering about Texas, stop wondering. With Rick Barnes coaching this team don't expect much of anything. Possibly a first round upset.

East: After reading a Sports Illustrated article on Jared Sullinger I gained a lot more respect for him. He seems like a really good kid and more importantly (for my purposes) a great basketball player. They always seem to have flaws but somehow manage to squeeze out wins. I vividly remeber the Xavier v. Ohio State in 2007 (I picked Xavier) where they inexplicably won. Possible Divine Intervention but remains to be seen. This is a tough bracket with UNC and Syracuse as well as Xavier (don't sleep on the Musketeers!) at the bottom and SEC champs and 4 seed (inexplicably) Kentucky at the top. Kentucky has a really great chance at beating Ohio St and reaching the final four but with Cuse and UNC looming I see any one of the top four seeds getting through.

Southwest: This is the hardest to predict for me. I picked Kansas, obviously, but there is something about all the teams that is very mysterious. Notre Dame could easily lose early but if they are hitting there threes, could easily win the National Championship (They beat Pitt at Pitt) so they are very unpredictable. Purdue has been shaky of late but they did beat Ohio State and have two great players, Moore and Johnson. Louisville is also a tough one to read. They made it to the Big East Championship and have great athletes who could give Kansas trouble in the Sweet Sixteen, but they lost to Drexel and Providence, and with no seniors we could see an early exit. The other team to look out for is Georgetown. They were seeded low because they have played poorly as of late. But they were missing PG Chris Wright who is back and with him, they are easily a top 20 team, capable of beating anyone. Also, don't sleep on UNLV. If they can get by Illinois they could give Kansas trouble. Kansas did lose to Northern Iowa in the second round last year (check the video above).

Good Luck to everyone! and a little montage to get you pumped up for Gus Johnson yelling uncontrollably.

Labor Unrest:

I don't really have much to add to what everyone already knows. This sucks and the owners are greedy pigs who selfishly are destroying the most popular sports league in the country, by demanding they recieve billions more than what they already have, while refusing to show their books, and depriving fans of this beautiful sport while simultaneously helping to further dismantle an economy in shambles since a lockout will result in all facets of the economy related to the NFL (hotels, restaurants, bars, airlines, etc) as well as employees of the NFL to lose billions. But hey, no biggie. It's just peoples lives. So while the owners are sipping on their margaritas in the Caribbean on their yachts during the season, every day people will be wondering where their next paycheck will come from. Sorry for the tangent. Actually, I'm not sorry. On to the players.

Now the players are not free of guilt. I am on their side and believe the Owners are mostly to blame but don't go acting like you're some depraved victim that will have trouble putting food on the table. Also, don't tell prospects, as it has been reported, to not attend the NFL draft. That is a special moment and they have zero ties to the negotiations and should not be thrown in the fire. Also, and this really pissed my off, are Adrian Peterson's comments to Yahoo Sports comparing the lockout to "modern day slavery". Ummm, can you tell me what facet of football has anything to do with slavery? Hey Adrian, you get paid a lot of money to play sports for a living. If that's slavery then sign me up! Do you know how many Jews like me want to become professional sports players? We usually end up with arthritic knees by age 21 so the dream ends there, but I can assure you Adrian, the pain you're experiencing is nowhere close to slavery. You are scheduled to make almost 11 million dollars next season, not including endorsements, which is sure to be several million more. Now you just sound like an arrogant, spoiled, idiot, something the NFLPA doesnt need right now. Next time think before you speak.

Here are a couple articles you should read that spell out the issue very well.

 http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Adrian-Peterson-expresses-frustration-on-labor-i?urn=nfl-wp206

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6177574

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110304

NBA Trade Deadline, Perk and Melo

Starting a couple weeks ago, the basketball world embarked on a journey that will help to shape the landscape of the NBA for years to come. This NBA trade deadline was one of the most bizarre, wacky, but nonetheless important deadlines in recent memory. There was a lot that happened but lets take a look at the 'Melo and Perk deals.
Carmelo to the Knicks:
Well this was certainly the blockbuster deal, with ESPN becoming more like Perez Hilton than a reputable sports news broadcaster during its coverage of the trade. They had their silly "MeloDrama" slogan and every ten minutes we heard Chris Broussard telling us a new rumor. Then we had Mikhail Prokhorov telling the world about the sentimental moments Carmelo and him had during their face to face meeting. Through all of that nonsense, it was clear that Carmelo wanted to play for the Knicks and was going to end up in Madison Square Garden. Period. So why did New York give up half their team when they could have signed him in free agency? Well thats a good question. The most obvious answer would seem that the Knicks (and nobody really knows whos calling the shots since rumors are speculating that Isiah had a role, God Forbid) were trying to ensure that the Nets or some other team didnt sneak in and steal Melo off their hands. Either way he's a Knick and now New York suddenly has a core nucleus that is good enough to win a championship. Lets look at the trade.

Knicks Recieve: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams
Nuggets Recieve: Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, three draft picks
-The Knicks also traded Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph to Minnesota for Corey Brewer

Some people don't like the trade and say that the Knicks gave up too much young talent. Blah Blah Blah. Carmelo is a superstar. A long, relentless, physically imposing small forward who, since arriving in 2003 has averaged over 20 PPG every season and helped to lead a Nuggets franchise that was a complete mess, to relevance including a trip to the Western Conference Finals. The reason this trade is great for New York is that Carmelo is not someone you can find or replace. He is one of a handful of elite players in this league. Every single player the Knicks gave up can be replaced through free agency or the draft. The same cannot be said about Carmelo. Will New York contend for an NBA championship this year? No. But with some patching up after this season I absolutely believe the Knicks are good enough to win a championship next year. Lets not forget about Chauncey Billups either. People forget that he was an NBA finals MVP, who routinely hits big shots (evidenced by the Miami game http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310227014) and is good enough to help this team win a championship. His option is expected to be picked up for next year and when his contract is up, the Knicks could theoretically sign Deron Williams or Chris Paul. While this is over a year away, many have speculated that Paul will almost certainly sign with the Knicks, creating a trio of Amare, Anthony, and Paul (kind of scary). Others have concerns about defense for the Knicks since it is widely known that Amare and Carmelo don't know what defense is (but they probably know what the Hebrew translation is thanks to Ron Artest http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2010/03/ron-artest-goes-all-dennis-rodman-with-new-hairstyle/) but frankly I'm not concerned. Defense is something that can be taught and installed. It can be turned on and off, unlike offensive skill. Dantoni chooses not to emphasize defense, but that is strictly a choice. Any way you add it up, the Knicks are a much better team after this trade and will be a much better team in the future. It is a great trade and as a Celtics fan, frankly I'm terrified.

There is another side to the trade which is the Nuggets. They did pretty darn well if you ask me. They were going to lose Carmelo anyways yet they still got a good chunk of talent for him. Felton is a really good point guard, with a reasonable salary, and paired with Lawson can create problems for opposing defenses. Chandler and Gallinari are solid scorers who, with their length are tough to guard. All I have to say about Mozgov is that I have no idea why he spells his first name with a "f" (which may tell you how I feel about him as a basketball player). The Nuggets have a solid core of 8-9 really good players, which is good enough to make the playoffs and possibly win a series. Unfortunately, Denver is not really a haven for free agents, and it is unlikely that any impending free agent stars, Paul, Howard, Williams, would choose to come to Denver. Carmelo was acquired in the draft, and if Denver wants to make a Finals run that is probably the place the building will have to occur.

Perkins to the Thunder:

Ouch. This one hurt and hurt bad. But the worst may have come emotionally. For any Celtics fan, who has followed the team since 2003, when Perk was drafted, it is tough to swallow watching him leave like this. Maybe if he left in free agency after the season it would have felt right. Doc kept talking about this starting five (with Perk) getting another chance and all of Boston wanted another chance. Perk could ride or slowly limp off into the sunset, after the season, with his big contract to another team and that would have felt right. Anything but this. This feels like the Simon and Garfunkel hit "Cecilia" except it involves a big black man and no bed. I turn away for one second and he's gone, and Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic are there. So the emotions are there and they're raw and  they will be evident until the end of the season. But professional sports is a business and Perkins is an employee and that is how the trade should be evaluated. Many prominent sports writers dislike this trade including Bill Simmons whose opinion I value greatly. The only name I heard that liked the trade was Scottie Pippen and of course Ben Lichtman. I don't love it yet, but I really really like it and I think this made the Celts a better team.

I've been watching Perk this season and he looks fit and in good shape but he also appears to be unable to jump, a slight issue. Perk is good and he's tough. He fits the Boston reputation of physical play and "no easy buckets" but lets not get ahead of ourselves. The key word here is fits. He is not the catalyst or the leader. He fits into a scheme. The real catalyst is Kevin Garnett. He is the leader and the one who brought the defensive toughness to Boston. I can assure you the toughness and intensity will not be lost with the departure of Kendrick Perkins. Another criticism involves Dwight Howard and that the Celtics will not be able to handle Howard and the Magic now that Perk is gone. With all due respect to Ron Jeremy and that hapless organization, the Magic cannot beat a healthy Celtics team in the playoffs. Even without Perk, Howard and the Magic are simply not good enough. Another issue for some people is the Lakers. I will admit that their length is problematic but lets also not forget the reason we lost games 6 and 7. We scored 67 and 79 points respectively. Our problem was not our defense. It was our offense. In Game 7 Ray and Paul were a combined 8/29 (27.5%). We simply could not put the ball in the bucket. With the addition of Jeff Green (who I'll get to in a moment) we now have a legitimate bench scorer who can spell minutes for Ray and/or Paul. Our depth in the frontcourt may be problematic at the moment but if Shaq is healthy, Shaq is simply better than Perkins. No one can see into the future, except me, and determine whether Shaq will be healthy for the playoffs, but if he is (and he will be) this team is nearly unbeatable. Some other issues that have been brought up are chemistry or hangoverness (new word) but Doc and our veterans will never let that happen. Guarantee. Throw that problem away. This may seem like I'm bashing Perk so let me say unequivocally that Perk is a good basketball player whom I really like and an integral part of this team  but he is replacable and the players we recieved in return make the Celtics a better team.

In return for Perk and Nate we recieved Center Nenad Kristic and Swingman Jeff Green. Green is dynamic. A real physical specimen who can score and play defense. He is young with fresh legs and as I stated earlier can spell legitimate minutes for Ray and Paul. Once he settles in he will be an important addition. He provides immense depth and if Delonte is healthy, the two can provide quite a punch off the bench, something that was really lacking in the finals last year. Kristic is also no slouch. He is a good offensive player who can hit 15-18 footers. He can stretch the floor and provide a scoring option that Perk never could, and when he plays, he creates a lineup that allows the C's to spread the floor and feature five legitimate scoring options. If Shaq is healthy Kristic becomes a really good #2 center and a vast improvement over last year, Rasheed Wallace (ew).

Danny Ainge, and I'll give him credit, really went out on a limb here. This was a truly an "all in" move. If we win the championship he's a genius, if we don't he's the goat. And in a town like Boston life could be pretty tough if banner number 18 isn't hanging next season. But I'm confident that it will be. Quote me, copy and paste this (I'll be happy if you just read it) but the Celtics will win the championship this year. This trade made them better and it will be very evident over the next month and beyond.

In the meantime we wish Perk all the best. He just signed a contract extension (4 years and 34 mill) so Mazal Tov on that. Basketball is tough sometimes and for any true Celtics fan, this trade really touches deep in your sports heart. But once you get past the heart part and you wander up to the brain this trade makes basketball sense and is good for this team, this year. The only thing left to do is wait and see. Should be a pretty fun playoff season.

Other notes:
The Nets are also major winners picking up top three point guard, Deron Williams. If they can resign him, that becomes a huge piece, and if they complete their move to Brooklyn, they become a legitimate destination. Cudos to Prokhorov.

Poor Baron Davis. As much as being a professional athlete is awesome, since you get to play basketball and make millions, I kind of feel bad that he was traded to Cleveland. Actually no I don't. Maybe if he played harder he would still be in L.A. Davis was a legitimate talent who has flashes of brilliance, but his lack of commitment and inability to get in basketball shape means the only person to blame is himself. If you don't think he could have done better, take a look below.