The Trouble With Tanking

Last year the NBA saw all the cellar dwelling teams battle it out for the leagues worst record in order to have a shot at drafting one of the top tier rookies in what was touted as the greatest class in the last decade. Everyone was "Riggin for Wiggins" the crowned jewel of the latest draft class. In order to be in contention for this rare commodity it resulted in some of the ugliest basketball I've ever witnessed in my life. Teams were, without officially coming out and saying it, doing their best to lose as much as possible. And even with some of the most despicable records in history, none of these teams got their prize; as the rigged Draft Lottery afforded Cleveland with its third #1 overall pick in the last 4 years, despite only having a 1.7% chance of winning the pick.

This years class is not as highly touted, so its not a surprise to see teams back in the business of trying to win games; well, most teams. Which brings us to the Philadelphia 76ers. What was once one of the leagues proudest organizations, they now are the laughing stock of the league, topped off with a recent 50 point loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The teams "star" second year point guard Michael Carter Williams has vehemently disputed all allegations of tanking, yet was seen arguing with his coach about not hustling on defense by pointing at the scoreboard as if to say "we have no chance to win, why should we keep trying."

At an abysmal 0-9 with little hope of getting their first win anytime soon, questions continue to be raised about the direction of this organization. To me, it all starts in the front office. This isn't a team strapped for cash and just putting out the only players they can get. They are $20 Million under the salary cap yet continue to bring in no name guys with minimal talent as they stockpile draft picks. That wouldn't even be a bad strategy if they were turning the draft picks into key contributors, but instead they have drafted very poorly. Last year they drafted Nerlens Noel who missed the entire season, this year they drafted Joel Embiid and traded for the rights of Dario Saric. On paper this sounds like a great draft, but then you see that Embiid is out for the year and Saric is stuck in a contract for a team in Turkey.

 Investing in guys who cannot help you win is foolish. And with the ludicrous draft lottery, having the worst record doesn't guarantee them a top pick in next years draft. This effort for mediocrity is an embarrassment for the team and its fans, but now it has stretched from the court to the wallets of owners around the league. They have become such an ugly team to watch that when they go on the road, fans don't want to spend the money to go to the games. Perennial playoff teams that average sellouts like the Dallas Mavericks have been struck by this problem of having to host Philly.

The NBA should take up the rules of the Barclays Premier League, which allows for the worst teams to be sent down to a lower league to keep the league competitive. That needs to happen to the 76ers immediately, or better yet, disband the team as a whole. The NBA is already an joke of a league with top heavy rosters, one or two fewer teams and a shortened season would only help bring back fans.

Injured Off the Clock

The other night, budding NBA superstar Paul George suffered what can only be described as a horrific injury. He snapped his leg in half during the second half of an intrasquad scrimmage for the Team USA National team. Traumatic injuries in sports always result in the social media outpour of "Pray for So and So"; especially when that play is one of the top young stars in the league.

However, this injury also resulted in a plethora of social media backlash, all centered on the topic of risking star athletes health in international competition. At the helm of this outrage is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. From his perspective, his investment is being put at risk when his players take part in international competitions. It is why the San Antonio Spurs told Manu Ginobili that he would not be allowed to participate for his Argentinian National team during this summers FIBA World Cup.

To these front office guys, all they care about is the product that they put on the floor from November until June, and understandably so. Rule changes and court regulations make for a difficult transition; headlined by George breaking his leg from crashing into the stanchion that is markedly closer in FIBA play than in the NBA. This will also bring about conversation of moving the photographers out from under the basket, which should have been done a long time ago. But the fact of the matter is this, injuries are inevitable.

These guys are professional athletes who are constantly working out and playing pick up games to hone their skills. Without question it was a bad break for Paul George (too soon?), but to say it only happened because he was playing for Team USA is ludicrous.

In 1998, New England Patriots first round pick Robert Edwards rushed for over 1100 yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie season and he made the Pro Bowl. While in Hawaii he was participating in a beach flag football game during which he shattered his leg so badly it almost required amputation, and effectively ended his career.

Last year, Red Sox prospect Bryce Brentz accidentally shot himself in the leg while cleaning his gun, a similar case to Plaxico Burress, who also accidentally shot himself. In 2006, Ben Roethlisberger got in a serious motorcycle accident while not wearing a helmet and it nearly ended his career; and the list goes on.

Unless we put these guys in a bubble on permanant lockdown until game time, anything that can happen will happen, because that's just how life works. So to the people clambering for stars to be benched from playing for Olympic teams and other none pro team events, let's be serious. They could slip down the stairs at their house and experience the same injury. Should they be banned from going home too?

Free Agent Madness

Lebron James was the obvious prize in this summer's free agent market. With him breaking up his Big 3 in Miami to return home to Cleveland to play alongside budding superstar Kyrie Irving and #1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, the rest of the chips began to fall around the league. Carmelo returned to the Knicks on a bloated 124 million dollar contract, and Miami saw Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade remain loyal to the Heat. However, it's the smaller teams beefing up their rosters in attempts to contend with the usual suspects that truly interest me.

Lets first take a look at the newly renamed Charlotte Hornets. They already have a huge buzz coming off their first playoff appearance in 5 years, and now Michael Jordan is bringing back the classic Hornet Purple with the excellently timed name change. This is a team that in recent years has been the laughing stock of the NBA, consistently hovering in the cellar of the standing. However last years big signing of free agent center Al Jefferson was the first piece in what now appears to be a very formidable team in a relatively weak Eastern Conference. Starting with the draft they have been quietly stockpiling talent, beginning with 6'10" rookie Noah Vonleh. They have also added relatively unknown backup point guard Brian Roberts, and established veteran scorer and former #2 overall pick Marvin Williams. And now they have finally made the big splash fans had been looking for by signing tremendous talent Lance Stephenson.

Last year during a career year, Stephenson led the NBA in triple doubles. As a third option on a fairly loaded Pacers team he still managed to average nearly 14 points and 7 rebounds a game. Coming into Charlotte he will have much more freedom playing alongside Jefferson and Kemba Walker on a team that at times last year severely struggled to score. While these moves don't jump them into immediate contention in the East, they are surely steps in the right direction into becoming a relevant franchise like in the Good Ol' Days.

Another team making big under the radar moves is the Dallas Mavericks. For a team that last year was an old middle of the road team with only two truly reliable scorers, they have made great strides to get back atop the Western Conference.  Free agency started early for them with a trade that brought in former Maverick Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.

Chandler's grade A defense sures up the back end and Felton's shooting and ability to run an offense from the point guard spot relieves some pressure from Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis. Those moves alone along with the growth of Rhode Island's own Ricky Ledo, who looks poised to make an impact in the NBA this season, would have made them a strong contender. Yet they weren't done making plays in the free agent market. Superstar and future hall of famer Dirk Nowitzki took a pay cut to free up cap space and billionaire owner Mark Cuban took full advantage. First he brought in sharpshooting young star Chandler Parsons from Houston.

His explosive offense and underrated defense will more then make up for the loss of aging veteran Vince Carter who signed a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. They have also brought in three point specialist Rashard Lewis for some needed off the bench scoring. These are all highly underrated and overlooked moves that I predict leapfrog the Mavericks from mediocrity and back into a top 3 spot in the Western Conference. Now comes the hard part, waiting until the season tips off 3 months from now.

Putting the Student in Student Athlete

College athletics have always received sideways glances when it comes to the education of student athletes. From the SMU booster scandal to John Calipari and his numerous sanctions for compromising the integrity of the universities in order to obtain athletes. Most recently comes word of another academic scandal, this time at the University of North Carolina. 

A tutor for UNC student athletes has come forward with allegations that the athletes were being directed by coaches and other members of the athletic department to enroll in fake classes. They were signing up for classes that never actually existed and never met in order to obtain easy A's and maintain their eligibility. With this coming on the heels of Northwestern's push to have their student athletes recognized as a union it raises both questions and eyebrows to whether or not these truly are students first or just young men and women being exploited by a multi billion dollar corporation that sees them as simply a means to an end.

SMU was hit with numerous sanctions for their violations including what is eloquently referred to as "the death penalty" because they paid the student athletes as if they were professionals based on their athletic performance. John Calipari, now the head coach of the Kentucky men's basketball team, has had issues with NCAA guidelines for the last 25 years. In 1988 he took over a University of Massachusetts basketball team that was in a decade long decline and turned them into a powerhouse,  resulting in 9 trips to the NCAA tournament.  However, his best season at UMass, a final four appearance in 1996, was vacated following sanctions for players recieving improper gifts from agents. But these sanctions came down after he jumped to the NBA so he got off clean. 

He appeared in the news again in 2008 when it came out that he helped superstar recruit Derrick Rose cheat on his SAT in order to get him enrolled at the University of Memphis.  Again, the school had its final four appearance as well as its NCAA record 38 wins vacated, but Calipari had already jumped ship for Kentucky and again got off scot-free. He now heads a program famous for being a haven for 1 and done freshmen stars to stop and play for a few required months before jumping ship to the NBA.

And now comes these allegations from one of the most famed institutions in college athletics, North Carolina, that they were enrolling their student athletes in non existent classes and leading them towards easy majors which they have no career interest in, solely to enhance the performance of the sports teams. To make matters worse, officials from the University vehemently deny any of this happening, despite confessions of former athletes confirming the contrary. 

Personally I believe that when it comes to student athletes,  they are students first and education should be the top priority; as that is the purpose of college, to further one's education.  However,  with the common thread between these situations being that they were all very successful due to turning a blind eye on school; as long as cheating is helping them win, and more importantly helping them make money,  academics will always come second.

NBA's Mt. Rushmore

The other night Lebron James was asked who he believes are the four faces he believes represent the Mt. Rushmore of NBA Legends. His first three answers, who he called the easy three, were MJ, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, with the oft forgotten Oscar Robertson rounding out the top four.

He then went on to say that he emphatically believes he will be one of the four greatest players in history by the time his career is over. This has sparked much debate, including being the opening topic on ESPN's First Take, so naturally I must make my own list.

But first, a look at Stephen A. Smith's list from First Take had me raising my eyebrows in confusing. He claims this is the mountain of the greatest players based on talent and accomplishment yet he denounced the accomplishments of everyone to fit Lebron into his list. By his own standards talent, scoring, defense and winning are what makes Lebron a lock for greatest of all time. Yet he leaves off 6 time MVP and 6 time champion who also has the most points in NBA history off his list in Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

One of the most dominating figures in the history of the sport, who revolutionized the game with the most unstoppable shot ever. And he did it in a time where you actually had opponents playing defense against you, not this breath on a star and its a foul style of play in today's NBA. Stephen A. also reduced the winningest athlete of all time, 11 time champion Bill Russell to merely a side note, claiming his winning and revolution of the game of basketball as one of the greatest defensive centers in history is merely circumstance of the era. Completely ignoring the fact that their careers, unlike Lebron who entered the league at the age of 18 right out of high school, didnt begin until 22 because it was required that they played in college multiple years since freshman weren't even allowed to play back then.

But what left me scratching my head the most was his stance that although Kobe Bryant is just as deadly an offensive threat, if not more so, and just as stifling a defender, his three championships won with Shaq and two championship losses makes him less then Lebron. 

Last I checked, Lebron also has two losses in the NBA Finals, and his two rings were won only once he joined two other superstars in Miami. So by Smith's own convoluted logic what works in favor of King James when done by others doesn't count. This is obviously more media posturing to sidle up next to the current face of the league. 

So now I begin my list. Based solely on dominance and evolution of the sport my Mt. Rushmore of the NBA is...

1. Kareem Abdul Jabbar

2. Michael Jordan

3. Bill Russell

4. Magic Johnson

Will Lebron supplant one of these icons and take claim of a spot on the list of greatest to ever play the game? Perhaps, but to me, he has a long climb ahead of him.

The MVP Conundrum

The MVP is the most coveted individual award in sports. But is it actually given to the most valuable player, or just the best player? In a year where Peyton Manning is a lock for the award after a record breaking season, and Lebron James is in the hunt for his third straight and fifth in the last six years, this question is truly glaring.

For Peyton, yes he set records in nearly every statistical category; but he played on a team loaded with three all pro receivers and a very solid rushing attack. Does being the best player on the best team make you the most valuable? In my opinion it shouldn't boil down to strictly numbers.

Take a guy like Tom Brady. He had an injury plagued team, 3 rookie receivers, and only 1 guy in Julian Edelman who he had any type of chemistry with. Yet he led them to a 12-4 record and a loss to Manning and the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. However, he only had a pedestrian 25 touchdown passes, 30 less then Peyton, and will most likely be overlooked in the voting. But it is his performance this season, overcoming every obstacle and continuously winning with his ragtag bunch of nobodies that I truly deem most valuable. Winning with nothing is far more impressive then running up scores and padding stats with a super team.

Same goes for King James. For the last 3 1/2 years he has been playing essentially on an all star team, ditching Cleveland to play alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Not to mention the Eastern Conference aside from three or four teams is pretty mediocre. Does being the greatest player in the world on the best team imaginable warrant 3 consecutive MVPs? You aren't truly the most valuable when you have an entire lineup of all stars by your side. But the media loves him and he is the current face of the league, so this fact seems to constantly get ignored.

So in steps Kevin Durant, the newly nicknamed Slim Reaper. With running mate Russell Westbrook once again sidelined due to injury, Durant has had to take over and has done so with flying colors. Averaging nearly 6 points more per game then Lebron, with more rebounds and nearly identical assist numbers he has led a much less talented Thunder team to the second best record in the NBA, only percentage points behind the Indiana Pacers. Will this be the year someone finally unseats the King?

The Return of Rajon Rondo

Almost a year to the day after tearing his ACL, Rajon Rondo is back on the court for the Boston Celtics. He has now played 5 games since returning, with his minutes and performance enhancing every day. The night of his return he was shockingly named the new team captain, and the 15th in team history replacing now Brooklyn Net Paul Pierce. This is important because as a team clearly trying to rebuild, and with constant speculation about whether or not he would be traded, this almost surely guarantees they will do everything they can to keep him in Boston for as long as possible.

After not playing in a game for a year, and having to wear a bulky knee brace, Rondo has been less then impressive in his first few games back; including an embarrassing 0-8 with 3 turnovers and just 1 point against the Miami Heat on the 21st. Granted he has never been a spectacular shooter, but he has never been this bad either which makes me wonder just how much the knee brace impacts his performance.

Along with his increase in minutes played, he has increased his assists per game, which shows his crafty playmaking ability hasn't been hampered by the missed year. The thing I've noticed that does hurt is that he is surrounded by a cast of sub par scorers who waste a lot of his perfect passes with either dropped balls or missed shots, but this is to be expected in a rebuilding year.

Rondo displayed that he still loves the thrill of the big games as he nearly recorded a triple double in just his fourth game back since the injury on the national stage as former teammates Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett returned to Boston as opponents for the first time. His shooting was still slightly off, although the percentage was affected by being forced into rushed last second attempts in order to beat the shot clock. Overall his 13-8-8 stat line was greater then I could have expected from him this soon into his return, as he is clearly still not up to game speed health wise.

He looks sure of himself, and not hesitant to crash the paint and cut on a dime, now it's just a matter of getting accustomed to playing with the brace and getting back to full speed. By the end of the All Star break I expect him to be nearly back to his old self, but with the added expectations of being the captain and lone survivor of the 2008 Championship team he will put this team on his back and produce at a level that leaves no doubt that he is not just one of the top point guards in the league, but one of the top players in general. Now they just need to re-sign him and get him some weapons to work with.

The NFL's Final Four

Wild Card weekend was full of excitement capped by the outstanding comeback of the Indianapolis Colts against the Kansas City Chiefs. But for all the excitement that occurred 2 weeks ago, last weekends games had a much different feel to them. It wasn't explosive quick strikes strung together to mount furious comebacks, it was tough grind it out football that saw the two top seeds from the AFC and the number one team from the NFC move on with what could be deemed, convincing victories.

In the NFC Championship we have the third meeting between NFC West division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. Believe me when I tell you, there is no love lost between these two teams. Both teams have stalwart defenses, the 49ers led by all pro linebackers Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman. While the Seahawks have the most dynamic secondary in all of the NFL, the self proclaimed "Legion of Boom".

Both of these teams also have very similar offensive approaches, both run heavy, lead by veterans Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore. Both rely on the mobility of their quarterbacks to escape pressure and create on the run. With such balanced attacks on both sides of the ball this will truly be a knock down drag out brawl with the slight edge in favor of Seattle for playing in front of the loudest fans in the country.

As amazing a game as that should be, the poster matchup for this weekends Championship round is the AFC Championship, pitting old rivals and familiar faces against each other as Tom Brady leads the New England Patriots into Denver to take on Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

The Broncos took the top seed in the AFC with a 13-3 record, and coming off the bye took down the San Diego Chargers in a game that was never nearly as close as the final score makes it seem. All the talk heading into last week was would Peyton continue his torrid pace from the greatest regular season ever, or would he continue his playoff woes and earn his 9th 1 and Done in his 13th playoff appearance. Now the talks shift to can Manning get over the hump against fellow future hall of famer Tom Brady?

In his career (regular and post season) Peyton Manning is 4-10 in matchups against Brady and Belichick, with one of those losses coming in Foxboro just a few short months ago after his Broncos blew a 24 point halftime lead. Granted playing in Denver is much different then playing on the road in a place he has always struggled to win. In the past these two storied quarterbacks have meet in this Championship game three times, with Brady winning two, and the winner of all three eventually winning the Super Bowl.

No one expected this Patriots team to even make the playoffs, let alone have the second best record in the AFC at 12-4. Despite relying on unproven rookies and extremely undersized veterans, as well as being riddled with injuries that saw six starters (4 defensive, 2 offensive) land on injured reserve, this team has still managed to prove everyone wrong and win enough to find themselves just one game away from taking part in their sixth super bowl since 2001. And on top of the injuries we can't forget that the 3 of the top 4 offensive weapons from last years high powered offense are no longer with the team as Danny Woodhead is a Charger, Wes Welker is a Bronco, and Aaron Hernandez is in jail.

This team just always manages to fight til the end and grind out close victories, while Denver consistently blew people out. But heading into this matchup it is the Patriots who blew out the Colts last week by 21 points, and the Broncos who saw their already below average defense take a serious hit as their top cornerback tore his acl. With these two quarterbacks and the brains of Bill Belichick, anything could happen and I expect a lot of scoring coming down to the last possession.


Predictions: Seattle wins at home 24-14, Patriots go into Denver and steal a victory 35-28 

Getting the Ball Rolling

For this first post I just want to start by saying, welcome to my blog. I've never had my own blog before so bear with me as I work out the kinks and hopefully provide you with some thought provoking, debate sparking insight into the world of sports. Topics will cover all the major sports and will not be regionalized to play on my being a fan of all Boston sports. This is simply an intro and I hope I have caught your attention and have gained a reader. First report will be up soon,


Have a great day;


Sean