Welcome to Summer: Where “Stick to Sports” has no place to hide.

By Will Stevenson

Oh Summer, why doth thou forsake thee? If I were into baseball as I once was, then the sports calendar wouldn’t be a bottomless pit full of coach talk hypothetical lists. What I have noticed during the “off-season” is sports fans grasp for anything to talk about, and when the major sports aren’t on television, their true colors come raining down. Opinions, or reactions have used to be marred back in the day before social media. Even if your co-worker told you Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest player of all-time, you may counter with Bill Russell, and then that would be the end of it. Now, that conversation can and will be had around a million times a day, every day. The comment section has become America’s fine dining establishment where anyone can go to be heard. Never mind the fact there are hired commentators for every website and Facebook as well. Nevertheless, we are drawn to any story that can give us substance, and if it doesn’t have any, we will hypothetically make something interesting out of it.

The summer months will now be known for domestic violence allegations, NBA Free Agency, NFL Minicamps, draft stock, front office movement and League posturing for the upcoming seasons. The News Cycle comes and goes so quickly, it is hard to keep up with what is new news, and what is old news. Remember the OJ Simpson coverage? Ezekiel Elliott? The continuous Kyrie and Melo trade rumors. Remember when Phil Jackson left the Knicks? How about the Mayweather/McGregor pre-fight world tour? Lavar Ball? Almost every one of these stories has been covered in the past month or two, or even a few weeks ago, but now they are old news. The current media conversation revolves around Colin Kaepernick, Josh Rosen, NBA trade rumors and the obligatory “Top ‘insert number’ list” for the sports we love.

The ‘off-season’ sports cycle brings about something different inside the sports fan: Real Feelings. Each topic in the above paragraph brings out conversations that most are not comfortable with in an open forum. All you have to do is click on a Colin Kaepernick link to see what America thinks as a whole on the topic. No longer are “X’s and O’s” the end all be all to our sports allegiances. During the season we will all watch the Redzone Channel, pregame shows, follow fantasy leagues and forget all about what Ray Lewis and Shannon Sharpe were debating because there is now a box score to look at. During the summer months, there is no place for “Stick to Sports” to hide. Honestly, there are other things we could pay attention to, but what fun would that be? I don’t mind a conversation on any of these topics, nor do I mind to read up on the many debates of my fellow Bookers and Tweeters. I have one question: Are we evolving through these topics, or do we just want to be right? I always wonder what the agenda is of a post about Lavar Ball, or a “Kaepernick is not being blackballed” thread. I wonder if people even care what is going on, or is there only goal to ruffle feathers, and are they being paid to do it? From what I have witnessed, more people have equipped themselves with knowledge on these topics, while others continue to say the same old ignorance.

Not only have the commentators been open to the non-sports topics, the media has jumped into the pot as well. No longer do fans have to sit around and wonder if the people they see on camera feel the same way they feel. More and more commentators are freely putting their stamp on their message about topics that go on outside the realms of actual game-play. I enjoy it, even Will Cain. There can’t be a Ray Lewis without a Shannon Sharpe. There can’t be a Will Cain without a Bomani Jones. For my selfish reasons, I want all the opinions to be out there, running rampant as closeted PCers race to find a boring monologue to post in response.

It is weird how the sports world is portrayed against the entertainment world. Many of us are old enough to remember Beavis & Butthead, SouthPark and StickDeath.com, but somehow a player flipping a bat after a homerun, or a player high-stepping into the endzone is cause for uproar. More people are tuning in to politics, but do not want politics near their sports.

Maybe it will never change. Maybe those who post things will never concede to racism in sports, college athletics being a non-competitive industry, or the need to treat athletes as humans like us. Maybe people still believe marijuana should never be used, but Oxycontin is just fine. Who knows. All I know is I love the summer months, because Stick to Sports has no place to hide.

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Magic, Jeanie and Rob: Lakers Are Making Moves, But Don’t Wait Up for Paul George

By William Stevenson

We’ve had fun clowning the Lakers and the Knicks over the past few seasons. I regret to think we won’t be able to make fun of the Lakers for much longer. When the Buss family was entrenched in off the court drama, things were looking dim as Luke Walton struggled to impose a defensive structure, injuries hampered the Lakers early on, and nobody could put a finger on who would run the operations for the organization. Fast forward a few months, and Magic Johnson an Rob Pelinka (former agent) are now making smart moves to improve the roster. Everything is a long shot to work out with there being many uncertainties with player development, team chemistry and unknown injuries, but as of right now there is hope.

The Lakers now have 3 first round picks and Brook Lopez after trading away DeAngelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Nets. With Mozgov gone, they only need to stretch Lou Deng’s contract to make more room. With Russell gone, they can draft Ball with no chemistry issues, but they give up their backup plan. They also do not have to worry about extending Russell or allowing his value to plummet while he adjusted to the 2-Guard position. Paul George wants to come to the Lakers, their first “big star” since Kobe and an injury plagued Dwight Howard. The rumors of Lebron James are back in full effect with Magic Johnson at the helm, and the seemingly utter train wreck that is the front office of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers can trade their number two pick now, package their first rounders for George, or stand around and play the waiting game, which isn’t the best play for a team and fanbase that is starving right now. Waiting till next year to acquire George via free agency is a risky move, especially when the SuperMax is still in play, and you never know what can happen in a year.

Honestly, I wouldn’t wait. Although there is no reason to fork over multiple picks when the Lakers have the leverage over the Pacers, they cannot wait around and hope George fulfills his verbal committment. What if the Pacers decide to sign a marquee free agent (they have cap room to do so), George makes and All-NBA Team, and somehow Myles Turner blossoms the way Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic did last season? Then what? You can’t depend on chance for too long. I’m sure the Nuggets and Blazers had no thoughts of giving the max-max to Jokic and Nurkic last year, but now they must. What if the Lakers struggle once again, Randle and Ingram plateau, and Luke Walton isn’t what Magic and Pelinka want for the Lakers, then what?

Lopez only has one year left, and he can be traded before the All-Star break if need be. Jordan Clarkson is also on a team-friendly contract, and the Lakers are looking to move him as well. As we seen with the Phoenix Suns, acquiring players through free agency doesn’t always work as planned. They were expecting so sign LaMarcus Aldridge, so they signed Tyson Chandler, but then Aldridge spurned the Suns to sign with the Spurs. So be wary Lakers fans and management, the time is now. Don’t wait for other teams to catch up, because as we’ve seen this offseason, the teams at the top are gearing up to take down the Warriors, and you don’t want to get caught watching others take down the throne.

500 Days of Spring: The NBA Season Is A Long One

By Will Stevenson

The NBA Regular Season is winding down, and I for one am very excited for it to be over. Remember when Joel Embid was the talk of the league? Remember when the Warriors and Thunder were facing off and Pachulia was standing over Russ? I remember when the Bulls were playing hard and the Lakers were 2 games above .500. I didn’t even know who Nikola Jokic was or that Nurkic was a beast in the making for the Trailblazers. I thought the Blazers were bad? Remember when the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets were tied at 11-30? Since that time, the Heat are now 32-35,  and the Nets are 12-54. Remember the Warriors being a villain? That concept was pretty much a lost cause for the team.

Certain things have dulled this regular season: Injures, Back to Backs, Pace of Play and new systems. Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Kyle Lowry, LaMarcus Aldridge are the marquee names that have, and will miss extended time this season. Not to mention players like Chandler Parsons, JR Smith, Evan Turner, George Hill, and Derrick Favors have all missed significant time with injuries. Players are resting more, which they should, and teams are keeping players as fresh as possible for the stretch run. With the draft coming and the free agent pool being dwindled by extensions this past summer, teams are tanking on purpose.

Injuries

I can never wrap my head around the concept of a player being injury-prone. It’s as if we don’t believe players should every have anything wrong with their body. Injuries are a natural part of progression, and bad luck can happen to anyone, which it does. How many players have the Pelicans released because of injury? How many times has Lance Stephenson been cut because he’s suffered various injuries. I remember watching Pierre Jackson (right before the Yogi Ferrell “explosion”) score 9 points in the first quarter for the Mavericks, then he hurt his leg and I haven’t heard from him since. He was on a 10 day contract and was released. Andre Bogut played 58 seconds before he collided with another player and broke his leg, he was released as well. Kevin Durant was knocked out by a flopping Zaza, just as Paul Gasol got hurt during shootaround. A number of players have broken a hand or finger by it getting caught in an opponents jersey. If you remember, Durant had a nasty fall in which he fell on his wrist a few games early before the knee injury. The point is injuries happen, bad luck happens, and these guys aren’t injury  prone, they are just human beings in a sport in which bodies collide with each other often. I won’t even go into these training regiments and tightness of muscles plus over-exertion. Players get injured often, and waiting until you are fully 100% is something that isn’t obtainable. Chandler Parsons is on the verge of being Brock Osweiler’d. Kyle Lowry would be replaced if Cory Joseph weren’t the embodiment of Delusions of Grandeur. Derrick Favors, in a contract year, is both months removed from being a centerpiece and months away from being paid the vet minimum and/or being replaced by Trey Lyles.

Rest

This won’t take long: Players need rest. Whatever high-horse you are on, complaining about how the fans need to see the best product are taking hypocrisy to a whole new level. Nobody complains when stars rest in Orlando, or Milwaukee, or if it isn’t a Primetime game on TNT, Espn or ABC. I get it, you care enough when you get to watch them in primetime, but not when they are playing in Minnesota on a Wednesday and being broadcasted by the local cable company. Even those that paid to go to the game, it happens. If the NBA isn’t refunding your tickets or giving back so sort of perk for those that went to the Spurs/Warriors game, then you shouldn’t be so angry at the players. You should be mad at yourself because you got played, again.

Tanking

This tanking thing is something isn’t it? The Kings are trying to tank so hard, but can’t. when they traded Cousins they were 3 games out of the last playoff spot, and banking on the Pelicans making the playoffs or missing it barely to get 2 lottery picks and be bad enough so Chicago wouldn’t get their pick which is top-10 protected (I play lots of 2k). The Kings are 6 games out of the 8th seed, but are tied with a team that gave them a 1st rd pick, but it was top 3 protected because there was no way they could end keeping that pick, the Pelicans. That’s right, Fire and Ice are melting themselves into a possible oblivion I haven’t seen  since the Lakers and Nets traded away all their picks and missed out on protection picks. The Kings could lose out on a possible top 3 pick, or the Pelicans could lose out on a top 5 selection. We all knew it would take time for the Pelicans, and they were thin, but it has really been a struggle, especially with the resurgence of the Blazers, Timberwolves and Mavericks. The bottom-playoff teams have been so bad that the teams attempting to tank are a 3 game win streak from being in the playoffs. The Lakers have been horrendous this year, and this time it’s not Kobe’s fault. The Lakers pick is top 3 protected, so if they win, they lose the pick to the 76ers. Their development this year stopped around December once the injuries hit and the losses piled up. Mozgov and Deng have be inept and are now DNP-CD (Did not play – coaches decision), isn’t that something for 33 million a season for 4 years (Thanks Jim). The Orlando Magic traded away Oladipo, Sabonis, Ibaka, and still are as putrid as before. The Suns aren’t tanking, but their play does it for them, and the Nets are tanking but don’t have a 1st round pick (a high one) for 3 total years. Teams are hoping the 2017 class is a deep one and leads to potential stardom, but these teams should realize that they themselves have played a major role in harming their own on-court success.

Despite these issues in the league, I am interested in watching playoff basketball. With the pace of play substantially going up league-wide, I’m interested to see if the high pace will translate to the playoff style. Will the Rockets continue to shoot 40 three pointers a game? Will a team like the Wizards be able to put up 106 ppg? Will coaches be able to swallow their defensive and carefulness instincts, knowing that a team could “grit and grind” them at any point. Though the pace of play is up with transition and three pointers attempted, we saw how that changed when the Cavs fug in on defense and the Warriors didn’t connect on those threes. Will teams turn back into the Jazz on offense, and will the Grizzlies continue their team record pace for relapse into the Grindhouse? Just something to check up on.

Lavar Ball: Building An Empire While Inside an Empire

Will Stevenson

In 2017, things are different.  In this capitalist society, maximizing your value is something every one of us should strive to do.  In all honesty, we don’t want others to maximize their value.  We want them to go through the “proper channels” and only behave the way we want them to.  Most of us weren’t born with the talent to dictate our own financial prowess.  Most of us work jobs, have managers, a boss that tells us when and where to be, how to act, and what our value is.  I must admit there is something that rises up in us when we see someone “buck the trend” of business and/or sport protocol.  When we see someone else have the power, instead of reveling in their presence or linking up with them to become stronger as a brand, we cut them down so they can be on our level. Sad is it not?

Lavar Ball is building an empire inside of an empire, which belongs to college basketball and the NBA.  Lavar Ball has helped himself to any news outlet to profess the greatness of his three sons.  Three sons.  We loved the Mannings, the Gronkowskis, but we don’t like the Balls.  Why?  In a sports world in which a collegiate athlete is drafted to a particular team instead of being able to choose a team of their own, being able to dictate the terms is almost impossible. For Lavar Ball, he must be able to dictate what he can, and continue to push the envelope.

Ball has spoken on how he wants his oldest to play for the Lakers.  He wants his son to stay in California, be close to home.  That actually sounds like something that would be a great idea, knowing the further away Lonzo Ball is away from his father, the easier it is to be pulled from his influence.  Ball has also spoken of building a brand with his sons: shoes, apparel, all the like.  We know the competition with Under Armor, Nike, Adidas, Jordan and Reebok would crush the competition, but why not try to infiltrate the system.  Every business out there is going to attempt to sink their marketing teeth into the Ball family, so it would be in Lavar’s best interest to do that himself.

As sports fans, we hate meddling parents.  We want those meddling parents to stay out-of-the-way and let coaches do their jobs.  Lavar has been slashed in almost every comment section there is for his interviews.  We always say others should avoid the spotlight, so if there were to be a downfall there wouldn’t be so much damage from the media.  Who can avoid the spotlight though?  The same people criticizing Lavar Ball are the same ones leaving comments on ESPN or on twitter hoping someone of importance reads it.  How ironic right?  Don’t let the fact that the Ball family is better at basketball than most of us let that cloud our hopes for their success.

We keep saying the fathers of this nation are lacking.  We keep reiterating that parents should be raising their children, not the system.  We continue to tell our children they can be anything, and they do always have to go the regular route.  If a relationship between a father and his sons is such that a father has the knowledge to navigate the sports business world, then we should all get behind the father and his sons.  Leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB make it almost impossible for an athlete to do their own marketing, or choose another brand that isn’t sponsored by said league.

Maybe they all make it in the NBA.  Maybe none of them do.  Who cares?  What Lavar Ball has been able to accomplish up to this point is nothing short of amazing.  We don’t like what he says or how he goes about it, but we cannot dismiss his accomplishments because we are too busy stuck in our insecure feelings.

LeBron Is KING.

LeBron James has been keeping the cavaliers relevant since he rejoined the team. He delivered on his promise of a championship and has done outstanding things in the community. He receives a lot of hate like he is a bad guy but I believe that hates comes from him being so good at what he does.

This season is going to plan but the Cavaliers might want to beef up the roster because they don’t quite measure up to the top teams from the western conference. My sleeper team this year is the Rockets because they are a deep team with a lot of shooting from behind the arch and a few scrappy big guys who are hungry for rebounds and hustle points.I think they can give the Cavs a run for their money but they have to get past the Spurs and the Warriors.

The Cavs are signing Deron Williams who is on the back nine of his career and it is rumored that Andrew Bogut will sign with them as soon as he gets a buyout from the 76ers. To me on paper this does not make them deeper, but it makes them have some names that are now washed up and hoping KING LEBRON can carry them on his back and win them a championship.

I do think he will win it this season because the Warriors are all hype and no bite. They just will have a hard time this year getting past the Spurs and the Rockets and I do see them losing in the playoffs this year. Look for LeBron to get his 4th ring this season and remain the king of the NBA.

written by Melvin Jackson III

NBA Transactionology: Let’s Make A Deal

Will Stevenson

*Remember in The Hunger Games when Katniss and Peeta were going to eat the berries because they didn’t want to kill each other. Remember when the higher ups did not appreciate being shown up? The Kings-Pelicans trade was a cop-out, and now everyone in the NBA thinks they too can devalue other players to acquire better talent. We Need Order!*

With the trade deadline tomorrow afternoon, the NBA has presented us with another moratorium to discuss the one thing we love above anything else in sports: Transactions. Every year we do this, with every sport, but with the rotations only being around nine deep for most teams and sometimes shorter during the playoffs, a well-timed acquisition can dynamically change the fortunes of any given franchise. I was listening to the TruHoop podcast yesterday, and Brain Windhorst admitted that 98 percent of the information he receives around the trade deadline are all lies, which is quite believable. He also admitted that all the work and texts from last year’s trade deadline meant absolutely nothing. Most of everything on basketball-reference or Hoops Rumors are just that, rumors. There is a stat that only two or three teams have ever made the playoffs, after January 20, after making a trade while being out of the playoff picture. I have a better stat for all of the 28 teams in the NBA besides the Cavaliers and Warriors:

Can you beat the Warriors? Can you beat the Cavaliers?

If you are a team that is looking for a player boost in the next day, will that player be able to propel you to the Eastern and Western Conference Finals? We’ll get back to this.

The worst thing to happen to the trade deadline was the Kings-Pelicans trade for Boogie Cousins. The trade was such a low-ball, that teams like the Nets have to soften their stance on Brook Lopez. The Kings have every NBA front office person thinking they too can send over lint and green tea to acquire a star in this league.

Celtics

I think most teams realize there is no reason to mortgage their future draft picks and prospects for the chance to get knocked out in the 2nd round of the playoffs. The Celtics have been hanging on to those picks for a few years now, and it’s actually worked out with the acquisitions of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Al Horford, and the drafting of Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk. Let’s be honest, the Celtics aren’t beating the Cavaliers, and they may not even surpass the second round with their 1-4 offensive-give all the shots to Isaiah Thomas in the fourth quarter-strategy. P.J. Tucker will not enhance their ability to win the title, but maybe Blake Griffin will. Griffin can and most likely will opt out this summer for free agency in any event of a trade, but it’s worth the risk. Maybe Blake Griffin or Jimmy Butler won’t get you the chip you want, but you’ll feel better about your chances. I actually think the Celtics want to play the underdog role for another year and keep the championship expectations off their backs. Thomas and Bradley are up for contracts next summer, and Jae Crowder is a movable piece as well. With the draft picks from the Nets, they can rebuild on the fly and keep cap room while staying an underdog. Genius.

Clippers

The Clippers have one move: Carmelo. That’s it, that’s all they have. Paul, Griffin and Reddick are all free agents this summer, and Steve Balmer doesn’t seem like the patient person. The Clippers have produced a great starting lineup for the past few seasons, but it hasn’t pushed them past the second round. Their bench is better this year, but it’s too late because the Warriors are here.

Raptors

The Raptors are the Clippers of the East, they have longed for a stretch four since Chris Bosh left for the Heat. They acquired Serge Ibaka from the Magic for a bag of sticks and a late 1st rounder; but was it too late? Think of this for the Raptors: They traded for Lowry, drafted Derozan and Valanciunas and that’s the core. Demarre Carroll and Corey Joseph aren’t free agent flops, but their production is average at best. They extended Terrence Ross, who they traded for Ibaka, and let Biyombo go to the Magic. Norman Powell and Delon Wright have been injured this season, along with Jared Sullinger. The Raptors have enough to get to the ECF, barring an epic shooting performance like last playoffs.

Wolves

Thibs has been trying to get the band back together since he took over the personnel in Minnesota, and with Zach Lavine down with an ACL until next spring, the Wolves are searching for scoring. This is an issue with many teams who have struggled this season: A veteran coach takes over a losing team with young players, but the pressure of making the playoffs is so great that the young players can’t break the rotations. Thibs has tried to trade for Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, Noah and Jimmy Butler. I’m surprised he didn’t go after Loul Deng or bring up Ben Gordon from the D-League.

Although the Finals looks like a foregone conclusion for the next couple seasons, it is nice to see teams still out here trying to compete for the playoffs. It’s cute.

Welcome to the Mecca

By: Will Stevenson

Sports. It’s a trying time in the sports arena these days as the NFL season has ended, the NBA hasn’t reached the all-star break, and… That’s about it. It’s not as if there aren’t interesting sports stories out there to generate decent conversation, it’s the sports athlete that has been watered down. We as a sports society have become bored with the talk of the Warriors on-court play, the passing of LeBron James or even… well that’s about it.

The NBA has had quite the year so far as the New York Knicks have basically dominated the tabloids with their Knick behavior. Draymond Green called Dolan’s behavior as, “slave mentality”. I love Draymond Green; he’s never afraid to drop a bomb in the middle of the pool and watch others squirm to swim around it. The word “slave” sends chills down the backs of most of this country, mainly because of untapped guilty and a total lack of understanding of what slavery was. When others compare slavery to modern-day basketball, everyone usually shuts it down. We as a nation learned slavery from Roots, which was in fact a fabricated story with an insufficient storyline. Many schools have stricken the word from the curriculum, replacing it with other words that aren’t so toxic to our youth.

Holy Bleep I thought this was about sports.

While listening to the Dan Lebatard Show with Stugotz last week, Dan repeatedly spoke about his surprise that Oakley was being defended everywhere, while Dolan was being crushed in the media, and with the fans. I thought about that concept: A large black man gets into it with security, gets removed from a game, and is still innocent on the majority. I’m sure Dolan thought as many in his position did, thinking he could say whatever he wanted about Oakley, and the public would have to side with Dolan, because he is rich and has the power. Dolan forgot one thing: The Black Code.

The Black Code is real. You may hear about it with “street cred” or “keeping it real” and think of “Chappelle’s Show” back in the day, but where I’m from, your name and deeds carry weight. The way you are is respected by others, even if you are a person that may slap a few people here and there. Oakley is a respected man in his community, and in the basketball community. Oakley is similar to the assassin in a movie that garners respect from his adversaries and community, even though he’s an assassin. Once your stature as a man or woman is notarized by the black community, there usually isn’t anything to take that luster off. I said usually.

None of the claims from Dolan made sense when applied to Oakley: From the drinking, the whispering, to the antagonizing. As soon as the press release came, literally while Oakley was still in the building, the world of Oakley descended upon Dolan. Dolan looked to point out the, “Angry Black Man”, “Out of Control Black Man”, and the “Alcoholic Black Man” all in one press release. To make matters worse, Sunday’s game against the Spurs was, “Look at the former Negros by my side” for Dolan. It was a complete bleep show as former Knicks were brought in for a dog and pony show as if to say, “Look at these Knicks, they like me, they’re not like Oakley”. It was an utter embarrassment as former Knicks were used for Dolan’s PR show that fell flat on its face.

Welcome to the Mecca.

What Adding Serge Ibaka Means for the Raptors

By Leo Silbert

The Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors have agreed to a deal that sends Serge Ibaka to the Raptors in exchange for Terrence Ross and a first round pick.  The Magic didn’t believe that they had a good shot at retaining Ibaka this summer and Ibaka had concerns over how he was being used in Orlando so it makes sense for both of those parties to part ways.  Now the Magic bring in a young wing player in Terrence Ross which should move Aaron Gordon to power forward full-time so the Magic may have done very well here, but how much does this improve the Raptors chances of challenging the Cavaliers, Celtics and Wizards for the East?

First thing that this will look to improve is the Raptors defense.  Ibaka for most of his career has been one of the best shot blockers in the league, as he is the active leader in blocks per game.  In the blocks category, the Raptors rank as an average team, but now with the addition of Ibaka, they can start him and give fewer minutes to Patrick Patterson, which if you take their current per game averages, would push the Raptors up to second in the league, only trailing the Warriors.  An increase of 1.5 blocks per game on average could have great effects on a team’s defense and give more freedom to the wing players to play aggressive defense since they know they’ll have a shot blocking presence down low to pick up the slack if their man gets into the paint.  The Raptors would also increase their rank in field goal percentage against since Ibaka is one of the 5 best rim protectors in the league.

Next, he would help to increase the team rebounding.  Ibaka will never be a 10 rebound per game guy, and that isn’t what the Raptors brought him over to do since they already have Jonas Valanciunas to be their top rebound man.  Ibaka would bring good skills as a secondary rebounding big though which the Raptors need as they rank 23rd in the league in total rebounds.  His rebounding ability will help the Raptors posses the ball more often and put it in the hands of their 5th ranked scoring offense more often.

Speaking of the Raptors’ offense, losing Ross as their 6th man hurts, but DeMarre Carroll puts up similar numbers across the board so he may get more minutes per game as well as increased minutes for Cory Joseph and Norman Powell in 3 guard lineups where either the Raptors keep both Valanciunas and Ibaka in for defense, or have Ibaka and Patterson in for a pace oriented and spread out offensive juggernaut.  Ibaka is also an excellent shooter for 3 so any concerns of decreased floor space with Patterson on the bench would be without merit.

So now how much is this likely to help the Raptors improve their chances this season?  Well since the Raptors have been in a funk recently and this is the kind of move that can greatly change how a team plays game in and game out, he could potentially bring them back all the way to the 2 or 3 seed, maybe even the 1 if the Cavaliers go through another rough patch.

Which Active Players in Each of the 4 Major American Sports Most Deserve to win a Championship?

By Leo Silbert

Sometimes fate in the sports world can be incredibly cruel.  Some of the best talents ever like Ted Williams in the MLB, Dan Marino in the NFL, Peter Stastny and Marcel Dionne in the NHL and most NBA stars of the 90s who weren’t on the Bulls like Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley were never able to ascend to the highest place in their sport because of the team they were on wasn’t very talented after them or because they were blocked from winning because they played during an era of a dynasty.  This still holds true today when 3 out of the 4 major sports are going through eras of historic parity (while the NBA finals can already be predicted fairly reliably now in February).  So out of all the stars in each of the sports who hasn’t won a title to this point in their careers, who in each of the 4 major sports deserves to win a title the most?

The NFL:

Being split into 2 separate conferences also shows a split in level of parity.  Since the year 2000, 12 of the 16 teams in the NFC have made it to the Superbowl with only the Panthers (2 times) and Giants and Seahawks (3 times each) have gone more than once.  The only NFC Teams to not make it to the Superbowl since 2000 are the Cowboys, Redskins, Vikings and Lions.  The same does not hold true for the AFC.  Since the year 2000, there have only been 6 teams to make the Superbowl from the AFC side with the Patriots making it 7 times, the Steelers making it 3 times, the Ravens, Colts and Broncos making it twice (the Colts and Broncos did so with Peyton Manning as their quarterback to lessen the parity even more) and the Raiders made it once in 2002.  Still though, the NFC with all the turnover they have shown has the player in the NFL who most deserves to hoist the Lombardi trophy in Larry Fitzgerald.  Fitzgerald already has all of the credentials for a wide receiver to make it to the hall of fame.  He is 3rd all time in Receptions, he is 9th all time in yards, and 8th all time in touchdowns.  He even has a heartbreaking loss in the lone Superbowl he was in where he had a great game catching 7 passes on 8 targets for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns, only to lose on one of the greatest plays in Superbowl history with Ben Roethlisberger throwing his lone touchdown of the night to eventual Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes in the back corner of the end zone.  Fitzgerald’s Cardinals have never made it back to the Superbowl despite making the NFC championship game in 2015 where they lost badly to the Panthers.  He is also one of the great men off the football field in the NFL, being the co-winner of the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award this year.  Fitzgerald is nearing the end of the line for his hall of fame career and winning a Superbowl would be a great last stop for him before he sets off on his way to Canton.

Honorable mentions:

Philip Rivers is stuck in the AFC with the Patriots and for most of his career Peyton Manning so he hasn’t had much of a chance to make the Superbowl and now his team doesn’t have much talent around him to help him win one in his final few years in the league.

Frank Gore was stuck on bad 49er teams for years and came very close to winning it all in 2012 when his team lost after his team passed the ball 3 times from their own 5 yard line within the game’s final 3 minutes.

Jason Witten and Antonio Gates are both top 5 tight ends of all time, but they have never had a good enough team around them to get over the hump.  If Witten returns this year he might have a good shot with the Cowboys but it seems like Gates is stuck in the same boat as Philip Rivers.

Joe Thomas has been on of the best left tackles in the game ever since he stepped on the field.  Unfortunately for him, the team he has been doing that for is the Cleveland Browns who are in the middle of their sixth head coach during his tenure trying to rebuild the team.

Julius Peppers just passed Michael Strahan for 5th all time in sacks and he made it to the Superbowl in his 2nd season in the league, but he has never made it back there during his 15 year career.

Major League Baseball:

Throughout the history of baseball, many all time great players have been unable to capture a World Series victory such as Ted Williams, Ernie Banks and Ty Cobb.  A lot of this had to do with how baseball didn’t have a lot of year to year turnover for most of its history and only had 2 teams from each league make it to the postseason until the 1995 season.  Then from 1996-2000, the Yankees won 4 out of 5 titles which made it even harder for non-Yankee players to win a World Series.  After that though, World Series winners became more unpredictable.  The unpredictability of the sport has led to many of the contemporary greats to win at least one world series, but there are still some who have yet to reach that plateau, the greatest of which is Adrian Beltre.  Beltre has been in the Majors since 1998 and he already has the kind of numbers that can guarantee him a spot in Cooperstown after he retires.  Beltre is going to hit his 3000th hit this season, he has a career WAR (wins above replacement level player) pf 90.2 which puts him at 30th all time in major league history.  His 1571 RBIs and 445 home runs him at 43rd and 41st all time while he sits at 25th all time in extra base hits.  He came very close to winning a World Series in 2011 with the Texas Rangers, but a loss in game 7 was the last time his team made it to the grandest stage in baseball.  He still has another season or two left in the tank and the Rangers are a competitive team, so he may get what he deserves if everything breaks just right.

Honorable Mentions:

Carlos Beltran: Beltran is another guy who started in 1998 and has put up potentially hall of fame credentials already but the one thing that would push him over the top as a lock would be winning a World Series.

Ichiro: Ichiro is one of the greatest hitters of all time and is returning to the Marlins in 2017.  He has over 3000 hits since debuting in the majors in 2001 and if you include his numbers from Japan, he has the most hits in professional baseball history.  He is already a lock for Cooperstown but a ring would be a great way to end a great career.

Felix Hernandez: It is hard to imagine that King Felix is only going to be 31 this April since he debuted all the way back in 2005.  It is also hard to imagine that in his 12 seasons in the major he has never even made it to the playoffs.  The Mariners are once again a popular preseason pick to make the postseason and once there anything can happen, but it is time for the Mariners to help their king finally get his ring.

Clayton Kershaw: Kershaw is one of the best pitchers in baseball history already at the age of 28 and he is still improving.  He has the chance to be in consideration for the best starting pitcher of all time if he continues his career trajectory, but what would be the best thing for him to be able to lay a claim to that is a World Series ring.

Mike Trout: Yes, he is only 25 and has many, many more years to eventually win his first world series but he has a few things putting him here.  First off, his historical comparisons aren’t guys like Ken Griffey Jr. or another one of the 50 best players of all time, but instead he gets compared to Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, who are all top 10 players of all time.  After only 5 full seasons and 40 games in 2011, his WAR is 48.5 which is more than half way to Beltre’s in one-third of the amount of seasons.  He is also stuck on one of the worst teams in baseball with a contract that has him signed through his age 31 season.

The NHL:

The NHL is the most unpredictable of the major sports leagues in America.  Sure, recently the Blackhawks and Kings have won 5 out of the last 7 Stanley Cups, but they haven’t been able to go back to back and it isn’t uncommon for low seeds to upset higher seeds in the playoffs.  The Eastern Conference has produced 6 different conference champions in the past 7 years with only the Bruins repeating an appearance.  One of the teams who has made it but wasn’t able to get over the top was the New York Rangers in 2014 led by all world goalie Henrik Lundqvist.  Lundqvist has been one of the best goalies in the NHL since his debut in October of 2005.  Since his debut, he has only missed the playoffs one time, he became the fastest ever goaltender to reach the 400 win milestone with getting his 400th win in his 727th game, and he is one of 2 people in the top 5 of all time save percentage in the NHL who has started 400 games.  Now Lundqvist throughout the early part of his career was carrying the Rangers to the playoffs year in and year out with little help.  He has finished in the top 3 for voting on the Venzia trophy (best goaltender award) 5 times, with winning the awards in the 2011/2012 season and he has only not been given votes for the award last season where he had a relatively pedestrian .920 save percentage.  He has also finished with at least 30 wins in every season he has played that wasn’t shortened by a lockout.  Even when he missed an extra 20 games more than his average due to a bruised vein in his neck in 2014/2015 he was able to get 30 wins in only 46 games played.  The Rangers are once again contenders for the Cup this season and Lundqvist is starting his normal late season heat up so he can win one this year, as long as his team is able to meet him half way.

Honorable Mentions:

Alex Ovechkin: Ovechkin is one of the great goal scorers of all time, and he falls to second on this list to fellow 2005/2006 rookie classmate Lundqvist because Ovechkin hasn’t been able to lead his team to the playoffs as often, but now the Capitals are the team with the best record in the league so if they can get over the hump in the playoffs, he may win his first title.

The Sedin Twins: Henrik and Daniel Sedin have been tied to together since birth and both were drafted to the Vancouver Canucks with the 2nd and 3rd overall picks in 1999.  They are both within 31 points of each other with Henrik at 1004 and Daniel at 973.  They were able to reach the finals in 2011 but they ended up falling to the Bruins in 7 games.  Now, the Canucks are 10th in the western conference and don’t seem to be threats at bringing home Lord Stanley’s Cup anytime soon so if they want to win their first cup, they will need to orchestrate moves out of Vancouver.

Jarome Ignila: He has played the most games of anyone in the league currently to have not won a Stanley Cup.  He also happens to play for the worst team in the NHL.  He made the finals in 2003/2004 but his team couldn’t help him pull out the win before the lockout lost season of 2004/2005.  He signed with the Avalanche trying to capture a late career cup, but the Avalanche have regressed in each of his seasons there.

The San Jose Sharks Duo of Joe Thorton Patrick Marleau: They along with now former Shark Dainius Zubrus were all so close to winning their first championship together.  Zubrus has since retired and now it is only Thorton and Marleau and they are trying to get back to the finals for the second year in a row.  Thorton leads all NHL players in assists since he entered the league in 1997 while Marleau has over 500 goals and assists since 1997.  They are first in their division and 3rd overall in the west so they may very well have another shot this year.

Shane Doan: Being the last first round pick of a franchise that is forced to move due to financial reasons can be tough, but Doan was able to do that and stayed with the team after the move and is still there today.  During his tenure, the Coyotes haven’t been a consistent contending team, but Doan has been able to survive the rebuilds and the near contentions and he is still sticking with them to this date, which is unfortunate as he once again finds himself on one of the worst teams in the league.

The NBA:

The NBA has the highest number of all time greats who have never been able to win a ring.  During the 1960s, the Celtics dynasty blocked out pretty much everyone else, with only the 76ers winning a single championship in the decade to prevent the Celtics sweeping the decade.  The 1970s was probably the most competitive decade for the NBA with 8 different teams winning championships in the 10 year span, with only the Knicks and Celtics winning more than one championship within the decade.  The 1980s was dominated by the Lakers and Celtics, with only the 76ers and Pistons winning a single championship each besides the Celtics and Lakers during the decade.  The 1990s had 4 different teams winning championships, and that number may be as high as it is because Michael Jordan retired for a year and a half and wasn’t in shape for the 1995 championship, and then he retired again before the 1998-1999 season.  The 2000s was the Lakers and Spurs winning 5 and 3 championships each and so far the 2010 seem like they will be dominated by LeBron James and the Warriors.  Some of the all time greats to never win a title are Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Allen Iverson and Elgin Baylor (who retired early in the 1972 season before the Lakers went on to win the championship).  Today, there are plenty of players who are near the best to ever play their position but have yet to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy, none of them have been better than Chris Paul.  Paul may be short and slim for the NBA but in his now 12 seasons he has shown that not only could he make it work, he could be dominant.  Chris Paul was so good that the NBA blocked a trade that would have sent him to the Lakers with Kobe and Dwight Howard because that would have made the Lakers too good for the good of the NBA so instead, he was traded from the Hornets where he was consistently the best of 2 good players on the Hornets, the other being David West to the Clippers to team up with a young Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan to make lob city.  He’s been good for 18.7 points per game, 9.9 assists per game, and 2.3 steals per game throughout his career while only averaging 2.4 turnovers per game.  And possibly the most important stat working for Chris Paul is that he is first in NBA history in win shares per 48 minutes, beating out even the GOAT Michael Jordan.  Now Paul’s career is getting closer to its twilight and he is stuck on a very good Clippers team in the era of super teams like the Warriors and Cavaliers dominating the league.  He definitely has the talent to be the best player on a NBA championship team, but it seems like for him to have a chance, he needs at least one more star player on his team with an improved bench to even have a shot any time soon.

Honorable mentions:

Carmelo Anthony: Anthony was probably hurt just as much by the Pistons drafting Darko Milicic as the Pistons were by drafting Darko Milicic.  Anthony instead went to the Nuggets who were the worst team in basketball the year before he was drafted and were turned into a playoff team his rookie season behind 21 points per game by Anthony.  The Nuggets eventually proceeded to trade for a past his prime Allen Iverson to put next to Anthony in a move that they thought would put them over the top, but it never led to any more playoff success.  In 2008/2009 he finally got a playoff series win in his final full season in Denver.  The next season he was traded to the Knicks near the trade deadline when Anthony was set to be a free agent the following summer, ruining the Knicks bench for no reason (not Anthony’s fault, this was because of terrible Knicks management).  Anthony is now suiting up for a bad Knicks team that makes more headlines for PR disasters than for wins and the team may be looking to trade him to a contender, which if that happens would finally give Anthony a team behind him that he can win with.

Vince Carter: Carter is still going strong for the Memphis Grizzlies, but at 40 years old you would have to think this will be his final season and it seems inevitable that Vinsaity will be another great and exciting basketball player to retire without a championship.  He arrived in Dallas 1 year too late as they won the year before he arrived and he got close with the Magic in 2010, falling to the Celtics in the finals.

Russell Westbrook: The angriest man in the NBA is doing everything in his power to make sure his Oklahoma City Thunder can be competitive but since now he is the only star on the team in the era of 3 star super teams, he is fighting a losing battle.  Westbrook is channeling his inner Oscar Robertson in averaging a triple double this season and night in and night out you know that Westbrook is the player who played harder than anyone else that game.  He deserves to win a title for his attitude alone, but unless the Thunder can start luring in fellow stars quickly, it seems Westbrook is doomed to anger his way to one 7 seed worthy season for the Thunder after another, but if he weren’t there today the Thunder would most likely be challenging the Nets for the worst record in the NBA.

James Harden: Another player drafted by the Thunder franchise, Harden was traded away to the Houston Rockets and he has developed into one of the 5 best players on the planet there.  Now with Mike D’Antoni as his head coach he has evolved even further into a Steve Nash on steroids type of player who seems like he was created by some kid on NBA 2k to fit exactly what D’Antoni wants to do on offense.  Harden’s Rockets are currently the third best team in the West and they are the best non-super team in the league, which shows that the Rockets are so so so close to being championship worthy, but they are being held back by 3 of the greatest collections of talent in NBA history.

Kevin Durant: A third player drafted by the Sonics/Thunder, Durant is one of the best pure scorers of all time and he just joined the Warriors’ super team.  He probably won’t be on this list long.

The Utah Jazz Can Make Some Noise This Year

By Leo Silbert

When you think of the best teams in the league, you probably think of the Warriors, Cavaliers, Spurs and Rockets.  You might think the next tier down is the Clippers, Celtics and Raptors.  Other teams like the Russell Westbrook anger tour Thunder, the drama involved on teams like the Knicks and Bulls, and even Joel Embiid showing the world that “the Process” may be finally be working.  Lost in the shuffle though is the best defensive team in the NBA.  It is easy to forget them as well.  Their two best players are a white wing player who went to Butler and some tall French guy with limited offensive range as opposed to more traditional pre-NBA destinations and positional stereotypes.  This team of course is none other than the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz aren’t built like most of the other teams in the NBA right now.  They have their center and power forward both as guys who clog the paint on both offense and defense, they aren’t a free agency destination due to location and market size so their players are mostly their from being drafted by the Jazz or being traded to the Jazz and they are a defense first, second and third type of team.  It is because of how weird they are and how they were built that makes the Jazz as fun as they are, and it also makes them dangerous.

First, let’s talk about their best all around player in Gordon Hayward.  He was a first round draft pick by the team in 2010 and when he arrived, he wasn’t being asked to do much.  The Jazz still had Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap as their main scorers.  Hayward was also mostly a bench player that season and he ended up only scoring 5.4 points per game in 17 minutes per game.  That in itself isn’t an inspiring point line for a rookie whose best skill at the time was his shooting, but later in the season he put on some stellar games on both sides of the ball such as when he held Kobe Bryant to 6-18 shooting with 7 turnovers while Hayward scored 22 with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.  In the final game of the season, he ended up breaking 30 points which left a good taste in the mouths of Jazz fans.  Over the next two seasons, Hayward improved his game enough that the Jazz became comfortable letting Jefferson and Millsap leave, letting Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter take over the starting spots in the front court, while Hayward had to develop into the alpha dog scorer the team needed.  Since then, Hayward has upped his scoring average each season and this season has finally been given the honor of an all-star game selection while he is averaging a career high 21.6 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game.

I mentioned how the Jazz were planning on rebuilding their front court by giving the reigns to Favors and Kanter, but I’m guessing that they didn’t expect their late first round pick in 2013 from France to change their plans enough to trade away Kanter.  Kanter was a top 5 draft pick and is skilled at scoring in the paint.  There was a major flaws with Kanter on the Jazz though.  He isn’t what you would call a good rim protector.  In fact, he is one of the worst rim protectors in the NBA.  This was partially relieved by the fact that Derrick Favors wasn’t terrible at rim protecting, but he just isn’t good enough to raise the level of his teammates’ post defense.  Kanter is a man with a 7’1 wingspan and he was unable to average a block per game while Favor averaged around 1.5 when both were on the team together so the Jazz were near the bottom of the league in blocks when those two shared the floor.  But step in Rudy Gobert with his 7’8 wingspan and the Jazz give up some interior offense for an elite interior defense.  That has helped transform the Jazz into the very best defensive team in the NBA by 3.8 points per game over the Spurs, which is a ridiculously big margin.  Gobert is leading the NBA in blocks per game by 0.21 blocks per game.  He is also 2nd in the NBA in shooting percentage and is 5th in rebounds.  Gobert is everything you could want in a defensive minded center and he very well may win defensive player of the year this year.

Now, last season the Jazz had both Hayward and Gobert on their roster, so what has made them special this year?  The addition of a floor general point guard in George Hill.  Hill is having a career year in terms of shooting, scoring a career high in points per game while shooting 47.7% as a point guard.  He also combines with Hayward to have a dynamic perimeter duo on defense where he helps lock up opposing point guard while Hayward gets the top wing defensive assignment.  Hill also serves as a veteran presence who has experience on some great Spurs and Pacers teams so he is the guy able to hold together the young corps of players up and down the Jazz roster, which is the part of the team that has the Jazz seen as a potential finals threat in 3-4 years.

Now, the Jazz do have the young pieces on their team to be able to eventually become one of the league’s elite teams in just a few short seasons, but if I were one of the top teams in the West this year I would want nothing to do with them.  A young team that people see as playing on borrowed time in the playoffs that has a lot of young legs is never something you want to see in a win or go home situation.  That is especially true if said team has a suffocating defense.  The Jazz this year are kind of like a Rick Pitino team at Louisville, they may not wow you in the regular season but I truly believe that if any team is to sleep on them this year, that team will end the season answering questions on how all of their star players were beaten in a series by a team that didn’t get nearly the media attention that they did.