An Early Christmas Treat

Saturday was a great day of college basketball. I felt as if the entire college basketball community was giving me an early Christmas present.

Here are just a couple of things that helped make my day:

1.) 86-60. Not only did the defending champion Florida Gators defeat the possibly overrated Buckeyes (a title only deserving after last night's loss), but they completely and utterly controlled them, especially during the second half. And for all of you who are still wanting to crown Oden (7 pts, 6 reb, 4 blocks) the king of college basketball, does that mean you are willing to dub Al Horford (11 pts, 11 reb, 3 blocks) and Joakim Noah (7 pts, 8 reb, 3 blocks) Greek Gods? Yes, Oden will only get better offensively once his wrist is healed, and yes, he did create many problems on defense. However, Horford used his body to absolutely man-handle the man-child, not allowing him to catch the ball close to the basket. I don't care if Oden's wrist is healthy, he's not going to be consistently making 15 foot jump shots after catching the ball that far out of the paint. Oh yea, Horford recorded a double-double against the nation's premier big man ON ONE LEG. Until the day before, he still wasn't supposed to play. The Bucks are also supposed to be an elite shooting team, but that didn't quite pan out for them in the humiliating loss either (OSU - 36.5 FG%, 30.4 3PT%. FLA - 60.3 FG%, 50 3PT%). Even with the loss, OSU is not a team that I would want to face at the end of the year. But on Saturday, in the words of Noah, "Dem Gator boyz was HOTT." Them Buckeye boyz was not.

2.) The UCLA Bruins did not have quite the hype coming into their game with Michigan, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they were the most impressive team that I have seen thus far. Since they ran the table at the Maui Invitational, I have felt that they deserved the number one seed. Now that they are number one, it is clear that no one else is deserving at this point. The way they play defense is astonishing, forcing 23 turnovers in the victory, 12 of which were steals. Their ball pressure is tremendous, and they utilized the post double team beautifully, immediately running at any post player who caught the ball on the block, often times forcing an errant pass. To add to that, four of their starters were in double figures while the fifth had nine points, and, as a team, the Bruins shot 11-20 from beyond the arc. This Bruin team is poised to make it back at least to the Final Four in 2007.

3.) The night cap was the most exciting for me. I was able to cheer on my old high school team, the Middletown Middies, against the Lima Senior Spartans. I showed up early for the JV game and was not disappointed as a talented Middie freshman canned a 15-footer at the buzzer to capture the one point victory. If that wasn't exciting enough, the varsity game provided more late game heroics as sophomore Bill Edwards scored his only two points of the game with 5 seconds left to put the Middies up one for the eventual win. My favorite player and little brother of one of my best friends, Phillip Barnett, scored 20 to lead the team. Hopefully this can propel the young guys to great things for the rest of the year.

Everyone, have a Merry Christmas, and look for more after the holiday season.

Thoughts about the NBA

Over the past few weeks, the sports world has been awaiting to see where the best pound-for-pound player in the NBA will be traded.

Allen Iverson demanded a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers after spending his entire career there. After all that he has done for the franchise and the city of Philadelphia, the least they can do is give him this final request.

Throughout a career in which A.I. has never played with an adequate supporting cast, the constant mediocrity from teammates and especially the front office has finally frustrated The Answer beyond repair.

Now, although Iverson would be a great addition to basically any mediocre team, he would not be a player who I pick in my Top 10. Basically my Top 10 is who I would use to form Team USA. For an NBA team, Iverson is without a doubt a player I would want on my team until he is finished, but the players I'd rather have are as follows:

Guards: Gilbert Arenas, Chris Paul, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade
Forwards: Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand, Shawn Marion
Centers: Marcus Camby, Dwight Howard

Honorable mention: Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Kirk Hinrich, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Emeka Okafor, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Terry, Deron Williams

Here's why:

Arenas: 60. That should be all I need to say. Like my boy Stipe said earlier today, "Gil is one of two players who, as a fan, you always feel can put up a game like he did against the Lakers." The other player being Kobe. Yea BronBron and D-Wade are better all-around players, but we expect them to do so much more than score. Gil can straight up light it up (By the way, so Stipe doesn't sue me for plagiarism, this analysis is basically a combo of his ideas with mine. YEA NAWTEE).

Paul: He is a completely opposite player and point guard than Arenas. Whereas GA needs to score to have a significant impact on the game, Paul can be held to single digits and still control the flow with his passing and defense. Although he went to Wake Forest, I think I even secretly rooted for him then. As a bonus, who doesn't want a GQ cover boy on their team? I mean, if they Dream Team won't win, at least they can look good, right?

Redd: Ok, so it seems as if I'm being generous with dishin' out props tonight, but I'll give my teammate, we'll call him the Psychologist, credit for calling this a while ago. Maybe it's because he's the biggest Buckeye fan I know, or maybe its because Redd can shoot with the best in the world, but either way, the Psychologist has been trying to get me to see Redd as a premier player for the past few years. Well Doctor, I think you have finally succeded. Not only can he shoot, but he's driving to the basket and scoring in other ways now. I believe he dropped 57 the opening week of the season. He makes the team.

Wade: The other day I realized that I have seen Wade play. Then I was upset I didn't pay closer attention when I was at the Marquette/Cinci Conference USA Championsip his junior year. I don't know that I cared about the outcome then, but I'm pretty sure I was cheering for UC in fear of getting shot in the 'Nati. Anyways, Wade's the best player of his draft class to this point for the same reason Brady is better than Manning at this point. They win championships. 'Nuff said.

Carmelo: In the Wade/Bron/Melo draft, I was rooting for Carmelo to have the best career. Like I said, Wade was almost unknown to me then, so Melo was my protagonist to silence all the LeBron fans. Finally, he seems to be embracing his talents as the leagues leading scorer. The best news of all is, if this whole basketball thing doesn't work out, he can try out for the next season of the Contender with that nice right hook he delivered to Mardy Collins (I can hear the lame ring announcer now... "...and in the red corner, coming in at 6-8, 230 pounds, "The Syracusa Bruisa" Carmelo Anthony).

Boozer: Excellent post player. Great hands around the basket. Quick enough to defense. Decent jumper from 15 ft. and in. Duke "almost" graduate. Basically, the epitome of solid play. Now, let's stay healthy.

Brand: See Above.

Marion: The Matrix is the best All-Around player in the game. He should be taken first in every fantasy draft. He scores inside. He scores outside, even with the "sweetest" jumped I have ever seen. He is repeatedly the game-high rebounder. He can pass. He can play defense on a variety of players. He always plays hard. I love Shawn Marion.

Camby: I never liked him at UMass. Again, my Fantasy league connections with Camby have brought me to appreciate his game. Another player plagued by injuries, Camby will get you a double-double more often than not (at least it seems that way), and then he'll go out and block a handful of shots and alter even more.

Howard: D-Ho is the best center in the game at this time. He has about 3 20-20 games this year. When he wants to get a rebound, he does. I have not seen much regarding his offensive game, but his athleticism probably makes up for some of what is probably unpolished scoring skills at this point. He'll do nothing but improve for the next 15 years. Prediction: D-Ho = hall-of-fame career (No more D-Ho remarks. It sounds too dirty... my bad).

I'll be looking forward to what my loyal readers have to say. Especially since LeBron is not on my list (mostly for personal reasons). And before anybody criticizes Dirk not being on this list, he's UN-American and probably writing songs with David Hasselhoff.

Let's Take a Trip Back to Grammar School Boys and Girls

One thing that I fully expect is criticism and comments from those of you who take time out of your day to read my articles. If there weren't people to read my stuff and give me feedback, it would be pointless to waste my time having fun by combining words with the sports world.

However, there is one thing that I ask when insulting me:

Please do it with even one iota of intelligence so you aren't perceived as having a complete lack of knowledge.

Let's look at the most recent comments/insults/laughs for me that people posted about my G**g O**n article:

Anonymous said...

Oden would swat your shit.

Here are the facts:

Me: 6' (most would say i'm 5'11", I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt), 160 pounds, above average athleticism.
G**g O**n: 7'1" (if not taller), 255 pounds, uber-human athleticism.

I guess my readers must have some intelligence for pointing out the blatantly obvious. Kudos for that. But if that is supposed to be an insult to me or a threat that now I should be scared that O**n can block my shot, you failed miserably. I would expect him to block one of my 3-point shots at the peak of its arc while he jumps from the baseline. Again, thanks for pointing out the obvious.

Here is the other, and funnier, remark:

Anonymous said...

I don't think no one has awarded him the Naismith Award quite yet but once he plays I'm sure he would solidify that. It is prolly tough watching a "football" school take over the basketball world as quick as they did. Now only if Duke could build their football program- my god I cant believe I bought finished that sentence. It's pretty funny how you are jumping on a guy for having a broken wrist and not being able to play, and for a school being smart with not pushing him too quickly. I would think the basketball world is just anxious to see how good he will be and they have the right talk good about him when he has put himself in company like Lebron, and I'm sure your a bandwagon Cavs fan just like everyone else is. Yes, as of now it is hype but from what we've seen from him we can assume he will be a dominate player. I bet if they were talking about someone from Duke like that, which is basically every year Dicky V is all over one of them, you wouldn't have no problem. And yes, Oden would swat your shit.

This one is so much fun, I'm going to break this down almost sentence-by-sentence.

I don't think no one has awarded him the Naismith Award quite yet but once he plays I'm sure he would solidify that.

I don't think ANYONE has awarded him the trophy yet either, (comma) but once he plays he may very well earn the award. I agree. Now that he has played, recording 14 points, 10 boards and 5 blocked shots (man I hope the players who got blocked don't shoot themselves now, like I feel I would if blocked by O**n), he could finally be on his way to winning the award. At least now people have a collegiate game of experience in which to judge him.

It is prolly tough watching a "football" school take over the basketball world as quick as they did. Now only if Duke could build their football program- my god I cant believe I bought finished that sentence.

The whole "football" school taking over the basketball world has already been done as recently as, ummm, LAST YEAR. Does anyone remember Florida's dominance in the NCAA tournament last year? For some reason it is still fresh in my mind. So, I guess since I enjoyed watching them play well last year, even though they beat my Bruins, that scenario won't bother as much as you think it will.

Who cares if Duke has a good football team? They can continue to lose basically every game and it will not take away from me cheering for their basketball game. Until Coach K takes over the football program or Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts create a lethal QB to WR connection for the Blue Devils, I will continue to not pay any attention to that program. Since when did the success of one sport team have an effect on another program anyways? I don't think there is any correlation.

Oh, I almost forgot. You can't believe you "bought" finished that sentence? Are you trying to purchase the sentence, or did you mean "bout," as in ebonics for the word "about?" Just curious.

It's pretty funny how you are jumping on a guy for having a broken wrist and not being able to play, (you should take this preceding comma and use it a few sentences earlier) and for a school being smart with not pushing him too quickly.

I am glad you think I find humor in the situation because I really do. However, it is not because he has a broken wrist. The problem for me is not that he has a broken wrist or that Thad Matta (who is a genius recruiter by the way) has wisely kept him out early in the year. The problem lies with the people who are ready to replace their respective religious idol with G**g O**n. I have said all along that he is definitely a remarkable talent, but why not let him suit up first before changing religions to O**nism. The Valpo game was a good indicator that he will be phenomenal, but would it have been unbearable to wait until that game to shower him with collegiate praise?

The next sentence is my favorite.

I would think the basketball world is just anxious to see how good he will be and they have the right talk good about him when he has put himself in company like Lebron, and I'm sure your a bandwagon Cavs fan just like everyone else is.

Yes, it is obvious that the basketball world, and Buckeye fans in particular, are excited to watch O**n play because of the company in which he now holds. Here, my friend, is where your arguement goes tragically wrong (as if it made much sense before). LEBRON JAMES IS ONE OF MY LEAST FAVORITE PLAYERS IN THE NBA. The hype that has centered around the Bucks new center is what LeBron faced in 2003. I felt the same way about LeBron as I do O**n. Is LeBron an amazing NBA player? UM, DUH. That is not even questionable. It, however, does not mean I like him. I was a much bigger fan of Carmelo Anthony during that draft as I continue to be today. Now, I am also a huge fan of Dwyane Wade from the '03 draft class, who already has a championship ring (I wish I would have paid more attention to Wade when I saw him play in the Conference USA Finals for Marquette against Cincinnati. Who knew he would be my favorite player a few years later).

Thus, I am not a bandwagon Cavs fan as you so smartly stated. It was a nice try at an assumption, though.

Yes, as of now it is hype but from what we've seen from him we can assume he will be a dominate player.

So, you bash me for what I say, then basically agree with what I say. Interesting. Although I don't think we can assume for sure, it is highly likely we will be a superstar.

I bet if they were talking about someone from Duke like that, which is basically every year Dicky V is all over one of them, you wouldn't have no problem.

Aside from the lack of displaying any grammar skills in this sentence, you seem to view me as showing a complete bias towards Duke basketball. Yes, Duke is my favorite team. However, I am able to view sports in the big picture and not only realize, but respect, good teams. Ohio State and O**n will be an excellent team this year. Duke will likely struggle to win the ACC.

There is a reason that OSU will be good. It is because they will play a style that resembles the play in the ACC, not the typical Big Ten brawling basketball. Rather than games in the 50s and 60s, the Buckeyes will score 80-85 points a game. The last team to be successful from the Big Ten was Illinois, which also played a faster, finesse game with talented guards and agile big men. Although I will not cheer for the Buckeyes (obviously), they will be a fun team to watch play (and root against) because of their transformation to an ACC-style of play.

Also, Dicky V is always on Duke's side because they are constantly a powerhouse. He also is very enthusiastic for every team who plays well. That will never change with that man.

I'm glad that you decided to agree with the previous comment that O**n would swat me. Nice touch and originality.

The moral of this article is this:
When you decide to attempt to insult someone, the least you can do is pretend to be intelligent rather than portray yourself as the last two people did on my comment wall.

P.S. Please don't be afraid to leave your name rather than posting anonymously. It is nice for me to put a face with the words so I can decide if you hold any credibility with me.