Fixing College Football

PRE-SCRIPT: I wrote most of this article the day after the NBA draft so many things are dated but still wanted to give my opinion.

A few clean up tidbits before we get started on the main event. First, I like that i spent a couple hours writing a huge post about potential trades and it only turns out that there were 3 of any real consequence and none of them nearly as sexy as the ones mentioned.

Dallas getting Rudy Fernandez to possibly replace the minutes that are going to be lost with Peja and likely DeShawn Stevenson leaving is nice. Especially since Rudy is at 2.2 mil or something for this year. The proble is he plays the same position as both Caron Butler and Corey Brewer, the former of which may be re-signed and the latter I know is going to be given every opportunity to make a significant defensive impact off the bench. Rudy complained of his role in Portland and pouted about it, and I dont think it changes in Dallas. At least we gave up nothing, Jordan Hamilton can score, but he's inconsistent and he'd have a harder time cracking the rotation than Fernandez, also what do you do with the 57th pick? So whatever, I guess I'm fine with the trade since we didn't really give anything up.

I sure am going to miss this whack job and his weirdo Lincoln tattoo.

In the other part of that trade Denver and Portland swapped PGs. I like Portland getting Felton I think. Portland needed some shooters. Denver needed to replace scoring with Carmelo gone, and they got a decent scorer out of Miller.

The marquee trade of the day was the three way between Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Charlotte. Charlotte gets Maggette to replace Jackson. Seems like little was gained there. Charlotte did also move up from 19 to 7 while still keeping the 9th pick. Of course then they went and used the 7th on Bismack Biyombo who has an awesome name but a lot of work to be done on his game. Of course there is a good chance he's better than Tobias Harris (or other similar level player) who was taken at 19. Milwaukee got Stephen Jackson and Beno Udrih and that 19th pick for swapping Maggette and their 10th pick. I think Milwaukee got the better players, but man they certainly lost out with their draft pick. I'm guessing they didn't like anyone at ten. Lastly, Sac traded its 7th for the 10th and got John Salmons for Beno. I know they were targeting Jimmer or some other PG that they knew would still be one there at 10 and so they took on an extra 8 mil for a small 3. Sac did get better on shooting the 3 with Jimmer and Salmons but theres only one ball and I still don't see a quality facilitator on a team with Tyreke, Cousins, Thornton, Salmons and now Jimmer. They could score 108 pts a game but lose by 10. This trade just didn't really seem to do anything to put these three small markets in any better position.

Kings Fans rejoice! This is the picture of your savior! Let's just forget that Sacramento could have has a better player for their pick, evidenced by the next trade I evaluate.

The last notable one was San Antonio trading George Hill to Indiana for the rights to Kawhi Leonard, the 15th overall pick. I guess they just couldn't get rid of Parker. Indiana got the better end of this deal. I like Leonard a lot, but Collison struggled with the Pacers offense this year and Hill can bring his knowledge from San Antonio to a good young team. I think Indiana is a 5 or 6 this year as opposed to the 8 they were last year with the addition of Hill.

All in all my favorite part of NBA drafts - the trading, was likely affected by the looming lockout and uncertainty as to the economics of the new NBA after the lockout ends. These trades didn't drastically change the talent landscape anywhere and really resulted in a let down for me.

Moving on to the main event, on my way home from another championship game loss to our bitter archrivals in my old man softball league, I heard maybe the best idea for changing how college football arrives at its champion from John Calipari - Kentucky's basketball coach: His take: 4 super conferences (North, South, East, West) of 16 to 18 teams each, two divisions of 8 or 9 per conference. The division winners play in a championship of each conference, with the winners of each conference squaring off as semi-finalists against other conference winners in what essentially amounts to a plus 1 format. I LOVE THIS IDEA! So much so, I am going to elaborate and show what the new landscape would look like.

First, it definitely has to be 18 teams in each conference and possibly 20. You have to include as many former D1A teams as possible so as to limit the outcry from teams that will ultimately get left out (There are 120 right now, with 4 more obtaining membership in 2013). If you do 20 per conference, then you get 10 team conferences. Each team must play every other in their conference for 9 games and then they can schedule independently 3 other games (allowing to preserve old school non-conference rivalries like Florida-FSU, or the creation of home and home deals like the Cal-Tennessee games).

The division winners are determined by division record only, with of course allotting similar tiebreakers as you see in the NFL. By doing this you allow other schools the freedom to actually schedule better non-division opponents because the fear of losing a tough out of conference game disappears and those home and home deals are lucrative for each program involved because it draws another marquee matchup in the stadium as well as the resulting TV production revenue. College football fans win becaue you get more good early season games rather than Florida v. Appalachian State.

This system does everything a college football wants to see. You take care of that crap you see in the SEC and Big 10 where you don't play every school in your conference so some years youll have an undefeated Iowa or Wisconsin or Michigan State because they didn't have to play someone equally difficult like Ohio State. The winner at each level is determined solely by the play on the field. The division winners play each other and then the conference winners play each other. No polls (of course you can still have them for fun, or for national semifinals seeding purposes), no computers, no debate.

So with the system in place what would these superconferences look like? Let's find out starting with the West.

I think you keep every Pac-12 school. They generally make money for each other, they have significant tradition and big time ratings markets. So USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, OSU, Washington, WSU, Arizona, ASU, Utah, and Colorado you're in. BYU is automatically in because they have enough pull on their own to go independent. That leaves 7 spaces. Geographically I'd like them to be as West as possible, but you may have to start to really dip into Texas, which might be better served staying as the South.

So let's go hunting starting with the second best western conference: the MWC. They are in flux with TCU, Utah and BYU heading out and Hawaii, Boise State, Fresno State, and Reno heading in. TCU will find their way in to a super conference at this point, but being in the Dallas area it's unclear whether I put them in the West or South. Boise has been good for a little while, but are they top 80 and top 20 in the west? I think so, let's add them. That gives us 14. Fresno State is interesting and has given us great players and great seasons for a long time now. Hawaii is the same way. I'd like to add them for 16. The remainder: Reno, SDSU, Wyoming, New Mexico, Air Force, Colorado State, and UNLV just do not strike me as competitors. Let's explore the WAC before filling out our final 4.

After the MWC realignment the WAC will consist of Idaho, Lousiana Tech, New Mexico St, San Jose St, Utah St, and 4 new members: University of Denver, Seattle University, University of Texas - San Antonio, Texas State University - San Marcos. Yeah the WAC is cut. You could just add 4 major Texas programs (Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU) but then you break up the Texas/OU rivalry out of division. I think that's just a game you keep despite being out of conference and you add these Texas programs to the list. So here is the new West Superconference:

Division A (Oceanic or Something)
Hawaii
USC
UCLA
Fresno St
Cal
Stanford
Oregon
OSU
Washington
WSU

Division B (Mountain or Something)
Arizona
Arizona State
BYU
Utah
Boise St
Colorado
Texas
Baylor
Texas Tech
TCU

These look fairly balanced - Division B may be stronger, but just having Oregon and USC makes it close as they are 2 of the 3 best programs in this superconference. I get giddy seeing TCU and Texas play every year, as well as really finding out how good the Pac10 really is running up against the winner of the half MWC/half Big 12 division every year. Plus you know Fresno State will give one of the powerhouses a run every year, so even the little man can compete in thee divisions.




VERSUS




The idea of this game every year gets me giddy.

Moving to the South!

This one is going to create an amalgam of a few conferences, but it makes the geography better:

All 12 SEC schools are in except Kentucky, I move them: Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Vanderbilt (I may whack this one later), Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Miss St, Florida, , South Carolina. Texas A&M gets split off its Texas brethren to join the G6 conference. Oklahoma and OSU fit better in the south than in the north. Thats 14. FSU and Miami, your in the south move on up. That's 16. Clemson is in South Carolina, no reason to have one and not the other. 17. Georgia Tech, same thing. 18. Now it gets tricky. You have the Sun Belt. I'm not going to list them, but their best school is Florida Int'l and they just started their football program less than a decade ago. That conference is cut. You have Conference USA with teams like Southern Miss, Central Florida, Tulane, Tulsa, Memphis and Houston and the Big East with South Florida, and Baylor out of the Big 12. I think of those teams, South Florida has definitely earned its way in. 19. Every one of those other teams has made a case in the past to be included, but I think I go with Southern Miss. They have posted 16 consecutive winning seasons and just seem to be the overall best of the lot. That's 20. Yeah I actually cut a BCS school but Baylor just didn't measure up for me. Here's the breakdown

Division A (Gulfstream "Like a G6!" Or something)

Oklahoma
OSU
Arkansas
LSU
Alabama
Auburn
Mississippi
Miss St
Southern Miss
Texas A&M

Division B (The Plantation or something)

Georgia
Georgia Tech
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Florida
Florida St
Miami
South Florida
South Carolina
Clemson

WOW! Division A may be stronger in this super conference but can you imagine the 9 game division slate in each of these divisions. The TV market would explode. Even if you end up with a dud (any game involving Vanderbilt or Kentucky) there are a million other good games in this conference. This would be awesome seeing OU play LSU every year, or seeing the 4 best Florida teams square off every year.




VERSUS




That's a pretty sick game to be played every single year. Those two programs are traditionally really good.

Moving to the North!

All Big 10 schools get placed here, except Penn St. They may get reserved for the East where they belong anyway. So Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana (I'd love to cut them), Minnesota (ditto), Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Northwestern, and Iowa. That's 11. You need to pick up the remaining Big 12 schools (except Baylor): Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State. That's 15. Notre Dame, you're here. 16. Penn State is still available. But I'll withhold for now. The Big East offers a couple of good geographical teams: Louisville and Cincinnati. Let's add them, that's 18. We can explore the Conference USA and the MAC. I think you add Central Michigan and Toledo from the MAC. That's 20 solid programs. Here are the division splits:

Division A (Leaders - Yes that's an actually Division title in the Big 10)

Kansas
Kansas St
Iowa
Iowa State
Missouri
Nebraska
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois
Northwestern

Division B (Legends - Yet another brilliant name from the Big 10)

Michigan
Michigan St
Central Michigan
Toledo
Cincinnati
Louisville
Ohio State
Indiana
Purdue
Kentucky

Even with 2 MAC schools I think Division B is stronger. True neither of these conferences really pop out at you, but that's because Big10 football sucks, but in our scheme you need 80 teams, and so you are going to have mediocre teams. I think if anything these divisions, especially the Division A will be highly competitive. Not a lot to look forward to here so no logos.

Lastly, the East!

So this one gets tricky. I'm glad I saved Penn State for the east, not only because it geographically makes more since, but because off the top of my head i may struggle to put together 20 teams, but let's go!

The remaining ACC teams end up here except Duke and Wake Forest. I'm not sold on them yet. So you get Boston College, Maryland, UNC, NC St, Virginia and Virginia Tech. You get Penn State from the Big 10. That's 7! Almost to a division. Let's pick up what we can from the Big East that hasn't already been pirated. Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia, you're in. That's 10. Pitt you're in. That's 11. I think to keep this going, we have to re-add Duke and Wake Forest, that's 13. Notre Dame will go here, not technically good geographically but they play in the Big East for basketball so it helps. 14. I am going to give them Florida International. They keep winning the Sun Belt and are such a young program my guess is that they continue to trend up going forward and are surely one of the best 80 programs. Thats 15. UConn is also a building program and belongs here, I mean they did make a BCS bowl last year! 16. Navy has been a decent but boring program, make them 17. Army is located in West Point, NY, better preserve the meaning of the traditional Army Navy game. Up to 18. I like Marshall University here for geography reasons (West Virginia) and that they could succeed if they were made a top 80 program. 19. For the last program I have to pull from the MAC again and take the Temple Owls. Al Golden lead that program to acceptability, and now they have managed to pull Steve Addazio who was a prized coordinator off of Florida's staff. I think they have enough to be a top 80 program.

Division A (Union)

Syracuse
Army
Navy
UCONN
Boston College
Rutgers
Notre Dame
Penn State
Temple
Pittsburgh

Division B (Confederate)

West Virginia
Marshall
Virginia
Virginia Tech
UNC
North Carolina State
Duke
Wake Forest
Florida International
Maryland


Honestly, as tough as it was to fill in, taking Penn State and Notre Dame out of the North and putting them in the East made this a more watchable conference and Division B is actually really solid reuniting Virginia Tech and West Virginia from their days in the Big East together. This division would produce some great football games every year.





VERSUS




This is a legitimately good game every year and one people would be willing to watch.

How outstanding is this? It creates numerous epic games every week. It solves our problems of which conference has better competition since it doesnt matter. If you are the best you will come out of your conference to play in the playoff since you have to play everyone in your division plus the best team to play everyone in the other division. So even though the West and South look absolutely stacked the best team will still survive.

So what do we do with the other 72 teams that miss the conference championships and championship playoffs? Why stick them in bowl games of course! No reason not to make money where there is money to be made. What do we do with the other 40 D1 teams that didnt make my cut? Fuck 'em. We could make a relegation type system like what european soccer leagues have and drop crappy programs and add up and coming ones after a review every 4 or 5 years. But generally, no one is going to miss schools like San Jose State or University of Buffalo. But this is about decided who is the best team in a what should be a normal way to decide any champion, take the best and pit them against each other.

I would absolutely love to see this put in action. It puts multiple excellent games on the TV (and betting) schedule every week. It resolves who is the best by actually playing it out on the playing field and we are heading for this system anyway. The Big 10 and Pac 10 have because the new Big 12 and Pac 12. The SEC and ACC are already 12. The Big East is even moving to 12 in the next couple of years. The conferences are too big for these teams to play each other every year (South Carolina doesn't have to play Alabama or LSU this year?!?!?). This system just makes perfect sense for the sport and its fans. Put in the superconferences!

What do you think? Too many teams in my system? Too few? Reorganize based on something other than geography? Or do you like what we have now?

Smoke and Mirrors

Ah the NBA Draft is upon us. More trades per draft pick than any other league. Did you know Dirk Nowitzki was not drafted by Dallas, but rather Dallas drafted Robert "Tractor" Traylor only to trade his rights for Dirk and some other scrub? Tractor just recently died and Dirk just won a title. I never understand why NBA GMs just freely wheel and deal players during the draft. I know there are economic concerns, but beyond that I feel like there is no foresight in their trading.

Who would you rather have?

Yeah I thought so too.

So, I'm not going to do a mock draft for three reasons. One, I dont want to talk about what could be up to 20 non-starters in the NBA. This draft sucks. Two, Mr. Armchair already did a great mock draft on his page. So if you want to see who he thinks is going where and why click here. Three, I find the trade rumor mill much more compelling and honest than in the NFL. So i will discuss a few players from this draft, but most of it will address most of the recent public trade rumors as we wind down to draft time.

So we can't start anywhere but Minnesota. So David Kahn has only had two years thus far, this will be his third draft, but the Donny Walsh protege has given the L.A. Clippers a run for their money in terms of poor team management. Put the Kurt Rambis firing aside, this is a rundown of Kahn's first two drafts:

2009: 5th Overall, Ricky Rubio, 6th Overall Jonny Flynn, 18th Overall Ty Lawson, 28th Overall Wayne Ellington. Yeah that's right those first 3 players were PGs. He took a page right from the Matt Millen "How to Really Suck At Drafting" textbook. Of course in 2009 he only had one of those PGs and it wasn't the best one. Ty Lawson (who at the time I thought would make an NBA starter somewhere) was traded to Denver for Charlotte's lottery protected first round pick, which as it turned out was number 16 last year. What did they do with that? Draft Luke Babbitt and traded him to Portland for Martell Webster. Ty Lawson for Martell Webster. Good job. Of course, Jonny Flynn was good as a rookie and then was ineffective and injured last year, and with Rubio coming it looks like he too is gone. Usually #6 overall picks aren't two year rentals.

Lastly, we come to Rubio (Kahn gets a pass for Ellington, no one expects anything from the #28). He is coming to Minnesota finally, I'm sure after assurances that Flynn is gone and the Spanish prima donna gets to run the T'Wolves exclusively. Here's some fun stats in the Euroleague this year: 22 MPG, 32% 2 pt FG, 22% 3 pt FG, 3.5 Ast, 6.5 Pts. Sure its 22 MPG, but unless his teammates couldnt score in a whorehouse, then he does basically translates as a pure passer with a 6'4" 190 lb frame who will get beat up in the NBA and poses absolutely no scoring threat. This is like having a poor man's Jason Kidd, only without Kidd's defense, size and outside shooting. I don't think he translates well in the NBA for at least a few years. This was not a great result in Kahn's first year and made fans do this.

2010: Wesley Johnson, 4th Overall, Luke Babbitt, 16th Overall, Trevor Booker, 23rd Overall. I think in everyone's haste to bash this year's draft class they forget how bad last year's was. Lets dispatch with the last two, they were both traded for equally valueless pieces. Wes Johnson, is interesting. Minny gave him 63 starts but his numbers were bad. The jury is still out on him but you'd really expect more polish from the 4th overall pick who came out as a 4th year junior. I loved Cousins in this draft more than Favors, and you can't tell me a front court of Cousins, Love, and Beasley wouldn't have been fun to watch and yielded better results.

Fast forward to 2011 (yeah for Kahn's sake I omitted this little nugget: The Timberwolves agreed to re-sign Darko Milicic for 4 years and $20 million on July 1, 2010), Minny sits with the number 2 overall pick. This is definitely Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams. If I was running the Cavs, the pick here would be Irving. The problem is Irving and Williams play positions Minny is ok with. Rubio is here and Williams likely plays Beasley's position. Beasley who is only 22 and finally has the offensive reigns he was waiting for put up a 19 and 5 season. So, Minny has been shopping. Here are some fun deals I've heard recently:

Pau Gasol for #2 and Kevin Love: I don't think this happens. It's a weird trade for Minnesota and L.A. Minny loses their breakout star and now has to pay 31 year old Gasol 60 mil. L.A. does lose the actual 2010 Finals MVP and a player in 10-11 who was an MVP candidate while scoring 2nd team all nba votes and whose playoff failure this year i think was an aberration. It's a fun trade for L.A. fans who like to blame Gasol. Mike Brown gets a hard nosed in the paint warrior in Kevin Love and likely gets tweener supersub Derrick Williams as a bench player to get more bench offense besides Lamar Odom and possibly turn Artest into a DeShawn Stevenson first 5 minutes of each half type of starter. If not Williams, then L.A. gets its Fisher replacement in Irving. It's a win-win and if i was L.A. i would do it despite losing a 2nd team all-NBA.

Andrew Bynum for #2 and Michael Beasley: This trade makes no sense for Minnesota. They lose their offensive weapon and the pick that would be used to replace his offense for a guy who honestly may never stay healthy. Plus it admits fault in the Milicic contract (which they should) and you now have a 5 mil a year (almost the Mid Level Exemption) bench center who sucks anyway.

Roy Hibbert and #15 for #2: This trade fascinates me. I like Hibbert, I think he's going to continue to develop, and as we saw this year with Dallas, a good defensive center is a cornerstone to a contending defense. Obviously, the Pacers get instant offense with the trade, hoping that Williams lands at number 2, since Irving and Collison don't mix. I think it's a fun trade and would be a winner for both teams.

Javale McGee (and possibly #6) for #2: This trade is weird. Javale is nice, but I'd rather roll the dice with Williams instead of McGee and maybe Jimmer or someone at 6. I'm sure Washington would love to pair Wall with someone who can really take the scoring pressure off of him.

Steve Nash for #2: HA! This was discussed at the trade deadline this year before Phoenix knew what they would be getting, but this would be the worst trade ever for Minnesota. It's a one year rental (Nash made it very clear he wouldn't re-sign with Minny) to mentor Rubio. Knowing Kahn, this is exactly what he would do.

Bogut and #10 for #2: If Bogut could actually play 70 games i would love this trade for Minny, but you may just be taking an albatross on your team to lose the #2 and use the #10 for someone like Klay Thompson or Chris Singleton. Sounds like Milwaukee won't do this trade, but if I was them, I would do it in a heartbeat.

#4 and either cash considerations or future draft pick for #2: I kinda made this one up, but Cleveland came out a few weeks ago saying they wanted both top picks and this is probably how they would get it done. Cleveland would get Irving and Williams thus avoiding the inevitable mistake they are going to make drafting Irving first. Minny gets likely Brandon Knight who would complement Rubio well, especially providing good backcourt defense and if not Knight, then Enes Kanter who apparently they are in love with.

As you can see Minnesota has so many options. My guess, they don't trade and draft Kanter who is more of a project than I think people realize (Kanter was supposed to go to Kentucky last year but ruled ineligible for the whole year).

My next favorite trade rumors involve Tony Parker. Why do the Spurs want to trade their 29 year old All-Star PG? Well a number of reasons I think. First he's owed 12.5 mil per year for the next four years and the new CBA is sure to make that figure tough on the Spurs cap. The Spurs window effectively closed last year and they need to really get younger. Tony Parker banged Brent Barry's wife, despite being married to Eva Longoria. Just can't trust the French.

Parker for #7: If this is seriously offered by San Antonio, I don't think Sacramento can push the button fast enough. This was a team that couldn't even meet the minimum threshold of salary required by the CBA. They'll be able to afford the salary under any new CBA. Parker also provides two things Sacramento really needs: a PG and a veteran. Parker and reign in Cousins and mentor Evans. Anyone who saw the Kings last year saw a Tyreke Evans who was great through 3 quarters then didn't know how to finish a game. Parker is the perfect solution for it. Of course this gives SA the chance to draft someone like Kawhi Leonard who is a perfect Popovich player.

Parker for #5: Toronto needs any help it can get and I agree with Mr. Armchair here, Toronte is infatuated with soft Euro players. Drafting Parker at number 5 instead of someone like Jan Vesely would drastically improve the Raptors and help get more efficient play out of Bargnani and DeRozan.

Parker for ANY LOTTERY pick: The rumor is that SA really wants Parker gone. I guess any lottery pick would do, but trading Parker for say Charlotte's 9th really wouldnt return a fantastic player for San Antonio. But I do firmly believe Parker is gone from SA.

Another small Kings related trade:

Felton and #22 for #7: Not as great for Sacramento, but Felton can still be a distributor if he's not the number 1 option. The other thing Felton offers is an outside shot (38% in 09-10, and over 40% after being traded to a good Denver team where he wasn't the first option). I think this is another no brainer for Sac, and it allows Denver to add a piece they need while only losing a backup PG. If Sac can't get Parker I think this is a better than even odds trade. It makes way too much sense.

Paul Millsap or Devin Harris for ?: All I have seen on the Jazz (who hold #3 and #12) is that they are willing to trade these two players, plus maybe Al Jefferson, but I havent seen any concrete rumors. What it mostly means is that they are going Kanter or Knight with #3 (thank god its not Jimmer like was rumored a few weeks ago) depending on who they are able to move. They could get a lot for Millsap and not so much for Harris who has now been traded twice for PGs better than him. Some good trades would be Millsap for #4-#6. He could really help Cleveland, Toronto, or Washington.

Iguodala Trade Rumors: With the impending lockout I think Philly wants to move Iggy. He has been rumored to the Warriors for Monta Ellis or to the Clippers for Chris Kaman. Kaman sucks and the Clippers don't have a 1st round pick this year so I don't think that's the deal. Ellis for Iggy makes much more sense, and they could also just swap 1st round picks to do it draft day (GS #11, Phil #16). If that trade happens, new Warriors coach Mark Jackson says it won't, I think Philly wins.

That's pretty much it for the Lottery teams. Charlotte isn't rumored into anything. Detroit may have given Kawhi Leonard a guarantee (they have #8 and after his workout he cancelled with #10 Milwaukee). If he's not there, Detroit may trade down with rumored partner Houston who has #14 and #23. If Kawhi is there at #8 Detroit would've been crazy not to grab the great defender.

As for some of the players in the draft you guys have seen what I think regarding Irving and Williams, Kanter, Leonard, and that Fredette shouldn't go too high. I see Jimmer as a middle ground between Steph Curry and J.J. Redick. Likely a backup SG for his career. He has a great work ethic and some real skills, but he can't be counted on as a lottery pick to be a long term starter.

Of course, I haven't discussed Kemba Walker. He's so small, but he single handedly willed UCONN to win 11 games in row to win not only the grueling Big East Tourney but also the NCAA championship. I believe Walker has a real place in this league with the right team. Mr. Armchair would love to see him Sacramento purple. It's not a terrible place for him to end up, as I said before they lacked really leadership at the end of games last year. Walker could be that leader. Toronto and Detroit could use him as well. I like Walker and think he will go where he deserves to go.

Besides Kanter, there are a couple of Euros set as top 10. Jan Vesely who is a 6'11' 3-4 tweener and Jonas Valanciunas, a center who likely won't reach the NBA for a couple of years. Each one is a project (as all Euros are) but from what I've read I like Vesely, but I am not confident in Valanciunas being a productive center at 240 lbs in the NBA.

This should be a fund draft with so many trade options and uncertainty coming down with the new CBA. There may be a lot of player movement with this draft, so tune in at 4pm. What do you think of these trades? Are there trades you've heard not listed here? Sound off on the comment board!

The New Wave and Lockout v. Lockout - A double edition!

Yeah that's right, a double edition. It's your reward for putting up with another blog-free week from me. Before I delve in, I really like the fan rules your readers have been posting, it's always fun to see what everyone else thinks fandom should be. Adding a true #11 to my list - No rioting. What fan destroys his city? Grow up.

The point of this again is.....?

So everyone knows about the riots in Vancouver following Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. This is automatic expulsion from my fandom. Any time you try to emulate Detroit or LA you automatically lose. I understand rioting in those cities, it sucks to live there. But Vancouver? Come on. You live in a beautiful and very prosperous looking city, in a country that offers you free health care, and you have to riot? Detroit has no money and a bunch of crime. LA has racist cops and it takes you 45 minutes to go 5 miles on I-5. The disturbing part is that every rioter is like 16-24. Is this the future for Vancouver? I hope not, it's a city I hope to visit someday soon and actually be able to enjoy. So #11 - No rioting. Anything that brings you closer to L.A. is bad.

Moving on to a main topic - how about that Rory McIlroy? Wait, you don't know who he is? Don't worry you aren't alone. Well, you might be now after that dominating performance at Congressional during the U.S. Open this past weekend. Setting scoring records left and right, or at least when he wasn't setting records he was doing things that haven't been done in decades, including being the youngest winner of the U.S. Open in 88 years. What was so remarkable was not just his age, but how he won. The U.S. Open prides itself on being a par tournament, where scores of 2 or 3 under are very good.

Since Tiger threw down the gauntlet in 2000 at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with a winning score of -12, there have been two tournaments won at even par, two won at +5, two won at -1, and three won at -4, which is just -1 for each round. It's a tough tournament and the USGA prides itself on that fact. The last time Congressional held the U.S. Open, Ernie Els won it at -4. Rory was -16! Of course the hyperbole is flowing following that win as everyone compares Rory to Tiger, the same way everyone, including Pippen of all people, starting making LeBron/Jordan comparisons after the Eastern Conference Finals. This, again, it ridiculous.

They may have equal talent levels, but they are not the same person. Rory doesn't have the same fire Tiger has. Tiger was intimidating. Rory is all smiles, all fun kind of guy. They are both amazing golfers but Tiger is just different. Same thing with Jordan. LeBron may actually have more athletic talent than Jordan, but he's not Jordan. Jordan was just a different breed of competitor.

I'm excited to see what Rory can do going forward. This U.S. Open win was not a shocker to the world. True, prior to this, Rory had only won one PGA event and one Euro Tour event. But the kid is 22. In his last four majors, he finished tied for 3rd at the 2010 British Open, tied for 3rd at the 2010 PGA Championship, T15 at Masters (after leading by 4 going into the final round), and now a win at the U.S. Open. The kid steps up durng huge tournaments. The Masters was an important step in his progression. Golf is so mental that everyone worried he couldn't recover from such an epic meltdown on such a big stage. But McIlroy came back the very next week in Malaysia putting together a third place finish and then of course coming back here to dominate America's Open. That being said, he has 1 major, Tiger has 14, let's take a chill pill here and just enjoy Rory for what he is, an up and coming, all smiles, young kid that has the potential to change the scene of golf.

You earned it, kid.

But it is not just Rory making waves in the PGA now, a whole set of Under 30s are emerging on the PGA Tour scene. Jason Day of Australia, age 23 has two consecutive major runner-ups at the Masters and the U.S. Open, he's 9th in the World Rankings. Dustin Johnson of the U.S., age 26 and the notorious long hitter on the course, he's 11th. Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, age 26, winner of the Masters this year and 10th in the world. There's also Anthony Kim and Jhonattan Vegas, both 26, and both having shown flashes of brilliance before fighting injuries this year. Then there is Matteo Manassero from Italy who on his 18th birthday this year beat McIlroy in that same Malaysia tournament. He finished 9th in the Match Play championship earlier this year and of course while it's not as impressive as Rory he did make the cut at the U.S. Open.

As you can see there is a LOT of good young talent on the PGA right now. Much more than I think Tiger saw when he was 26. And this may be the problem going forward for Tiger. Any given week, these young bucks seem to throw down some awesome scores that rank up there with some of the best Tiger has ever played. I still think Tiger gets to 19 majors, but the PGA has to love what it is seeing out of these young players. It used to be Tiger or bust and now at least Rory has given them something to talk about and maybe will race a whole new generation of golf fans and maybe this gives Tiger the spark he needed to get back to being Tiger.

Moving on to the second feature of today's double feature: Lockout v. Lockout! Sounds like a case I would read in Wills and Trusts where one family member would sue another but really this is a discussion on the NFL lockout and the inevitable NBA lockout. Long story short, I thought that the only things that needed to be improved from the NFL in this new CBA is an NBA style rookie wage scale and good health care going forward on a sliding scale based on NFL service for retired players. Otherwise, the system was obviously working. It's the most popular sport, and basically prints its own money.

Instead you have what amounts to two assholes fighting over who gets which luxury car. It's stupid. What they are fighting over is exactly why this lockout won't last much longer. You don't just walk away from that much money as a business. I just hope at the end of the day they get those two issues right. As good as Sam Bradford might be, he's not quite worth 50 million NFL dollars yet. For the players, the sport is an occupational hazard and the NFL should set aside health benefits for those players who put in enough service to warrant health care. I think the NFL gets this right and they get it right in the next few weeks.

You have something much worse growing in the NBA. The NBA did open its books. The NBA is losing 300 million dollars and without a new CBA that reigns in that figure the NBA actually saves money by not playing next year. The NBA did just enjoy a renaissance this year and especially this postseason. The Heat alone give the NBA excellent ratings, but teams like Chicago and OKC have flamed the passions of the casual NBA fan. Hell, the Memphis/OKC series was a ratings blockbuster for a 2nd Round matchup involving the 4th and 8th seeds. The NBA has a product that is becoming more popular so why should they risk losing this newly generated goodwill by locking out the players. This is why:

25. Elton Brand: three years, $51.2M
24. Channing Frye: five years, $30M
23. Luke Walton: three years, $17M
22. Chris Duhon: four years, $14M
21. Antawn Jamison: two years, $28.4M
20. Amir Johnson: five years, $34M
19. Al Harrington: five years, $33.1M
18. Richard Jefferson: four years, $39M
17. Jose Calderon: three years, $28.3M
16. Charlie Villanueva: four years, $31.2M
15. Hedo Turkoglu: four years, $45M
14. Baron Davis: three years, $41.85M
13. Mike Conley: six years, $49.5M
12. Corey Maggette: three years, $30.7M
11. Richard Hamilton: two years, $25M
10. Emeka Okafor: four years, $52.2M
9. Andray Blatche: five years, $35.7M
8. DeSagana Diop: three years, $20.8M
7. Brendan Haywood: five years, $42.7M
6. Ron Artest: four years, $28.1M
5. Travis Outlaw: five years, $35M
4. Josh Childress: five years, $33.5M
3. Brandon Roy: four years, $62.6M
2. Rashard Lewis: four years, $80.4M
1. Gilbert Arenas: four years, $80.2m

Those are the 25 worst contracts with at least 3 years or at least 25 mil remaining on them in the NBA (according to Simmons). Yes, those are the years remaining after this season that just played out. Look at that list. Can you believe the Lakers have to pay four more years on Artest? Or that the Mavericks have to pay 5 more years on Haywood? Those are teams that are generally run well. What is that 3 yr/20 mil doing to Charlotte for DeSagana Diop? Or that Orlando, who should be positioned well to contend is paying Rashard Lewis and Gilbert Arenas 40 million a year?

For whatever reason, mediocre GMs feel like they have to grossly overpay for awful talent in the NBA. Beyond just the money is the length of these contracts. What are players like Arenas, Lewis, Artest, Baron Davis, Andray Blatche,and Amir Johnson going to give you 3-4 years from now? It's horrible. It's why teams like Sacramento can not compete (because they can't pay Diop 8 million a year) and why teams like Toronto and Detroit (who try to spend money to compete) can not compete because they spend 34 million dollars on Amir Johnson (9.6 pts/6.4 reb) and 31 million dollars on Charlie Villanueva (11 pts/3reb).

It's time for a hard cap in the NBA. Small market teams can not compete in the NBA like they can in baseball because of the roster size and player development at each level. Baseball has hundreds of new talented players every year playing some small part in helping win a game. In basketball you have 5 guys with usually 1 or 2 of them controlling your destiny. You can have a team full of good role players (see Sacramento Kings) but you can never get there with a team full of role players. Teams that can spend money can't seem to do it wisely because they can't attract enough free agents to their crappy city (Detroit, Milwaukee, anyone?).

I for one at the end of the day would gladly trade an NBA season to see them completely overhaul the league. What do you guys think out there in the cyberspace? As optimistic as I am regarding the NFL lockout? Dreading an NBA lockout? Is Tiger toast or is this just a hiccup in the road towards his 19 majors? Let your voice be heard!

A Journey of Eleven Years Starts With A Single Footstep

Beautiful, ain't she?

I had a bunch of titles for this blog post: ReDIRKtion, No "LeBron" in Team, J...E...T JET JET JET, 10 beats 3, etc...but this one rang truest to me. Ever since Cuban bought the team in 2000, there has been an excitement around the Mavericks. Not since those late 80's years when I actually lived in Dallas and went to all 3 WCF games in '88 against the Lakers had I been excited about my basketball team. Of course I was briefly excited again when we had the Triple J Threat - Jason Kidd (as a rookie), Jamal Mashburn, and Jimmy Jackson in the mid 90's, but they broke that up quickly.


I actually had this poster as a kid, it is long since destroyed. That logo in the lower right though remains my favorite Mavs logo. I don't like the horse that much.

For 11 straight years, Dallas has produced 50 win teams that have provided a lot of entertainment but 11 straight years of heartbreak. I always found it odd that people felt bad for Garnett when he struggled through first round exits every year in Minnesota, but didn't share the same empathy for Dirk. Instead Dirk was roundly criticized for the failures of the Mavericks the last 11 years and it started to really weigh on me as his fan.

But this has really been an 11 year journey that started with the single footstep of an iconic, eccentric, brash, loud-mouthed, but ultimately dedicated owner buying this team. A lot of credit has to go to the front office. They didn't succeed right away, but they really evolved this team. Cuban's first step was to create a culture of winning and excitement, which he did with a legendary regular season coach in Don Nelson, and a fun team to watch with Dirk, Michael Finley and Steve Nash running the show. Once they had a few seasons of this they knew they couldn't get over the top and changed gears with Avery Johnson, and tried to get bigger with Dampier (which failed spectacularly) but at least they continued to evolve. Avery set the foundation for team defense with these players, and they continued to evolve under Carlisle, and continued to add toughness andc combo defense/offense pieces. Flipping Howard for Butler, Haywood, and Stevenson, and ultimately the Chandler move finally put them over the top.

It was a long journey, and I legitimately ached for Dirk after the '06 Finals, the '07 embarrassing loss to the Warriors and then in '08 when it appeared the window had finally closed.

After about 20 of these Baron Davis layups in '07, this was the worst and most embarrassed I had felt about my team since Cuban bought the team. I was very pessimistic about our chances to return to the Finals after this moment.

Even going back to last year we lost to an aging Spurs team in 6 games in the first round and if we couldn't take care of business against the Spurs surely we would have issues going forward with teams like the Lakers, Thunder (who had just showed some spunk against LA), Utah (before they lost Boozer and traded Williams), and Denver who had been looking strong every year since the '06 finals under Carmelo. When Dallas won 57 games this year despite losing Butler in December and going 2-7 with Dirk out during the regular season, I felt in the back of my mind that this team COULD play with anyone but more likely they flame out in the playoffs at some stage in spectacular fashion as they had done over the last 11 years. But I knew the second they came back and took it to Portland the game after blowing a 23 point lead late, this team finally had IT. Game 1 against LA proved it. At no point after that game was I ever pessimistic about their chances to win any single playoff game, and as it turns out after Game 1 in LA they went 11-3 and never looked back.

For me personally, I will admit that I got slightly misty eyed. You are fan for this very reason. You invest time in watching and getting to know the team, you spend money on paraphernalia and game tickets, and if you have any passion you really feel as if you are on the bench with these guys. I went through 11 straight years of Dirk bashing, of Mavericks bashing, and disappointment after disappointment. As I explained to Mr. Armchair, getting this championship meant more to me than the Rangers pursuit last year because I was just happy to finally be there with the Rangers, just like I was in '01 with the Mavericks. When Dallas got to the Finals this year, I wasn't happy to just be there, I was tired of just being in the playoffs. It was time to finally win one for a team full of 30 somethings who have had wonderful careers but would never be known as winners. If Dallas lost I wasn't going to write that in the end it was a good season and I enjoyed the run, because it wasn't true. Nothing but title would quench my thirst. When that clock struck 0.0 I raised both arms up high, holding my Dirk jersey like a flag and just looked up into my ceiling for what felt like eternity (it was really only like a minute and a half) and I let the sense of relief just wash over me. It had been since '99 since a Dallas team won (The Stars won the Stanley Cup) which is a championship I don't claim since I don't really follow hockey, and '95 since a Dallas team I cared about won. My beloved band of old guys, always known as good to great to hall of fame level players were finally winners. At the end, it didn't ring the same as the Cowboys championship in '92 which I firmly believe will rank as my favorite championship pending what the Rangers do in the future, but this is a very, very close second well ahead of those '93 and '95 Cowboys wins. I can now write that this was a good season and I did enjoy the run. Now Dirk, you earned the right to party in South Beach looking like an overgrown Napoleon Dynamite.


I'm going to do a Finals recap roster style starting with the NBA runner-ups in order of importance to their team and do my best to avoid any of the overreacting that I despise so much from the media today. I know this post has been long, but cut me some slack, it's Dallas' first title, I'm allowed to have a longwinded post today.

1. Dwyane Wade - I think it is clear that the Heat are unquestioningly Wade's team. That should have been set from the start. He convinced Bosh and James to come to him, not the other way around. He was surely their best performer in these Finals until he just wore out in Game 6, but Wade can't have the finger pointed at him as why the Heat lost. He showed will and determination on both sides of the ball that went unmatched by any of his teammates.

2. LeBron James - I will bad mouth him to start. He has 8 years in this league, 2 Finals appearances and I think he has not shown the same championship desire as Jordan, Kobe, or even Wade. So at this point anyone making those comparisons needs to be written off as a crackpot. Even at the press conference when a general question was asked he deferred to Wade. I think this is just his mentality, he doesn't want to lead and Wade does. That being said, I believe anyone in the world would kill to have him on your team, so lets not write him off. It's very possible he evolves himself over the next couple of years and becomes what he needs to be on Wade's Heat. I'm betting he gets his rings sooner rather than later.

3. Chris Bosh - He sucks. I'm not going to waste too many words on him. I'm glad he can be offensively efficient as the third option on the floor, so can 283 guys in the NBA (all numbers approximate), but this guy did not change a game favorably for his team in these Finals and honestly was a complete defensive liability when he was on Dirk, especially when compared with how Collison and Haslem defended Dirk. If Miami wants to win they should trade the crybaby.

4. Mario Chalmers - I'm not sure if this was a step in the right direction or just an aberration, but he may have been more responsible for the Heat being in games than Bosh. He was clutch shooting all series and played excellent point defense. He did regress some in Game 6, so I am curious to see how he does next season, but I think Chalmers might benefit the most in the progression of his game simply by being on this team.

5. Udonis Haslem - Not totally healthy, but he was the best defender on Dirk and made shots in his rare opportunities. Honestly, I would rather start a healthy Haslem and get 2-3 pieces for Bosh's money. If Haslem can stay healthy, this is where the Heat become very dangerous. I was upset that he chose to come back to play 2nd fiddle to Bosh rather than go off and start somewhere else.

6. Joel Anthony - I think his presence was key to a lot of Miami's fast starts early in this series. He plays above the rim defense and just forces a different offensive mindset when he is on the floor. Has zero offensive game except to hit wide open dunks when the zone or man shifts off of him, but he was a nice find late in the season.

7. Erik Spoelstra - I may have him too high, except for one thing, he could always rally the troops. Dallas could never run away in this series except for Game 6, even Game 5 was well in doubt the last 2 minutes. But he was thoroughly out-coached by Carlisle never being able to make his adjustments to the changed lineup, changed pick and roll set, or changed defensive sets.

8. Mike Miller - Surely hurting, and surely has his mind on other things, he never got going, but had some flashes in this series, especially in Miami wins. He is the type of player that age may not affect, however he is a defensive liability. I think Miami would rather have Dorell Wright going forward though.

9. Mike Bibby - This was another mistake, Spoelstra stayed too loyal to his lineup until it was too late. Except for Game 2, Bibby offered nothing and for Games 4 and 5 got straight abused by Barea. I'm sure he has over 6 million reasons for regret, since thats approximately how much he gave up to play for the Heat.

10. Juwan Howard - Good for him he got into the Finals, too old to offer anything of value.

11. Eddie House - Scored well in Game 6 but is terrible defensively. At least he has a ring already.

12. Erick Dampier - I love this. Bitch stole 70 mil from Dallas, then hops over to Miami to ride some coattails for a championship and still doesn't get one. Good riddance.

13. James Jones - Not sure why he didn't play. By all accounts he was active and ready to go, but lost his minutes to Howard and House. Wonder what happened there.

Final Assessment: Following that ridiculous party the day after the Decision the Heat became the targets for everyone's hatred and with good reason. Titles are not easy. Boston had a good 4 year window with some of the best players in the league and won 1. Winning 7? My guess is Miami doesn't do it. It won't be easy going forward either. Every year teams are going to get up for the Heat, and every game is going to wear on such a shallow team. I think in the end this is what got them. LeBron, and Wade can not play 42 minutes a night for 100 games. They wear down. Wade wore down in the Chicago series and summoned whatever he had left. James clearly wore down in the Finals. It's going to be a tough road for Miami starting next year if there isn't a lockout. Dallas can beat them (6-2 this year), LA and Chicago are lurking, and OKC could be the scariest of all the teams over these next few years because I fully believe Durant has a lot of Kobe in him and will just continue to get better every year. Dallas got theirs and now I can just sit back and enjoy whatever drama unfolds in the new NBA landscape, especially with in their prime ALL NBA players like Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, and Chris Paul looking to join forces with other talent. Miami has it's work cut out for them.

Now on to your 2011 NBA CHAAAAAAAAMPIONS!!!!

1. Dirk Nowitzki - He was such a strong closer in these Finals (and the entire playoffs) that he puts Mariano to shame. If LeBron is serious about 7 titles he needs to evolve like the greats. Dirk evolved. Dirk has about as many crazy moves as Kevin McHale used to have now. Dirk's offense is a far cry from what it used to be as a spot up shooter and it was the result of years of work and film study and experimentation. Dirk earned his MVP trophy and is certainly the greatest Maverick of all time.

2. Rick Carlisle - He pushed a bunch of buttons in this series and not only were they the right ones but the timing was impeccable. Peja (a key cog in the previous two series) is ice cold and can't defend anyone. Pulled for the series after Game 2. Stagnant offense against Bibby to start games, plug in Barea. Switching man to zone to man to different zone throughout the game stymied the Heat at every moment Dallas needed a stop. Top of the circle pick and roll ineffective either dont use it or move it to the elbow. Every move worked, and every 4th quarter comeback this series and this postseason has Carlisle's stamp all over it.

3. Jason Terry - This was a tough call. Terry and the next 3 players were all fairly equal in their importance, however Terry was the difference in getting Dallas over the hump offensively. Dallas was successful in holding Miami to low enough scores but couldnt convert offensively. Terry turned it on and was certainly almost as equal of an offensive influence as Dirk was in the pivotal Game 5, and the closeout Game 6.

4. Shawn Marion - Shutdown defender. Wherever Marion went, either James or Wade, they players seemed to struggle the most when Marion was on him. Having the defensive flexibility from Marion was so crucial to stopping those huge runs Miami would go on in the first 3 quarters and was instrumental in every 4th quarter come back. He also provided a decent offensive spark as the 2nd or 3rd options. Congratulations to the Matrix, I was always a big fan of his game (especially when he was #1 rated fantasy player) and I'm glad he was a key piece in this title.

5. Jason Kidd - He was the perfect complement to Nowitzki. Kidd never scored but did everything else well. I'll be the first to say I was unhappy when we re-upped him for 3 years a couple years back. He was old and slow and until last year he hadn't shown that efficient shot. Then he shows the shot last year and it totally disappears from him in the San Antonio series. But this series and these playoffs he was the steady hand that picked his spots very carefully, and expended all the energy bodying up Wade and James effectively. That was a great defensive performance from Kidd and I'm glad his 17 years have been validated despite my reservations through most of his tenure as a Mav.

6. Tyson Chandler - He is the key piece in that zone on defense. Whether he was covering low block or coming out high to pressure a dribble or run off a pick and roll his size and length and athleticism allowed Dallas to change defense on the fly. He also took care of the rebounding duties off of Dirk's shoulders and allowed Dirk to concentrate more on his offense.

7. J.J. Barea - Spark plug, he plays very nicely in his role, and makes the most ridiculous layups, but what he offers is what I had wanted for years. A guy who can collapse a defense and either make a driving layup or find the right player. He just wreaks havoc on defenses, and his move to the starting lineup against Bibby was perfect for JJ to get him going when he was a little cold.

8. DeShawn Stevenson - Offered up good hard nosed defense, and started to hit his shot off the bench to provide some bench shooting when it was evident Peja wasn't going to. I think his best contribution was last night triggering a mini skirmish that pulled Miami out of their rhythm after going on some 16-1 run. Miami never looked the same after that. DeShawn hit them in the mouth and the Heat shrank.

9. Brian Cardinal - Never thought he would get minutes in the Finals, but he picked up Peja minutes and was much more effective. Hit a three a game, played tough, physical, aggressive defense and picked up two of the biggest charges in the series on both James and Wade. Couldnt have asked for better minutes from him.

10. Brendan Haywood - Tough that we lost him, he offers great minutes off the bench and helps Dallas not miss a beat on defense when Chandler goes out. He also is among the most aggressive rebounders we have, and Dallas surely missed him there.

11. Ian Mahinmi - He was good enough for replacement minutes, attempting to offer exactly what Haywood offers, only he is still learning and got a bunch of fouls. He definitely earned those minutes though by giving the best possible play he could give.

12. Peja Stojakovic - It's unfortunate that he was so terrible in those first two games because he really helped Dallas get there off the bench, but he offered Dallas nothing in these Finals and I hope he took his benching with grace and humility knowing that he was not offering his team the best chance to win a title.

13. Corey Brewer - He just came on too late. He may be a key cog in the future, but he joined the team late. This is what is called winning the lottery if you are Corey Brewer.

Final Assessment: Dallas finally completed their 11 year journey that Mark Cuban started when he bought the team in 2000. They proved that you can win with 1 superstar and a bunch of talented role players (I hope Rose took notes), and then when everyone fits in their role the team is greater than the sum of its parts. I jokingly told a friend halfway through this series that I hope Dallas wins and then the NBA locks out forever. I partially take that back. It would still be nice to hold on as champs for all eternity, but a lockout deprives this team of the chance to see what it's like to defend a title. I look forward to next season hoping that there isn't a lockout, and the next few years to see how this team evolves as its championship pieces age and decline and Cuban starts the evolution and the journey all over again.

P.S. Dallas in 6. Thank you to those friends who willingly gave me money by betting on those douchebags from Miami. There is a sports god!!!!!

Fan or FANatic?

A week since I last posted? I'm letting you guys down. My boy, Mr. Armchair, has been pumping them out. If you are interested in the Buster Posey play at the plate, the Ohio State mess, or LeBron please go check him out here. Again, since I have not been doing a post after every finals game, I won't do a major recap here. Just a few key points:

1. My Pick is Alive! - I picked Dallas in six. Dallas has a very good shot to do this in six. I may be crazy but I thought during the introductions Miami looked pretty tight, and in fact they came out and played tight. 2 full days of LeBron bashing and questions about themselves may exacerbate it. I think Miami plays too tight and loses Game 6.

2. LeBron is not Michael. LeBron is not Kobe. LeBron is not even Wade. In fact, I will say it, if their career arcs continue this way, Wade would be ranked higher all time on my list than LeBron. LeBron is Dr. J 2.0. Athletic freak of nature who relies on this to get by, but in no way does he have the same packages as Kobe, Michael or even Wade. Of course, maybe he's tired, or he's hurt, but so is Wade and so is Dirk. LeBron just doesn't have the same makeup.

3. Chris Boshtrich sucks. Sure he went 19 and 10 last night but was -13 on the floor and got abused yet again on a go ahead driving dunk by Dirk. Should never have signed him and used the 100 mil on two or three other decent pieces.

4. If Dallas has finally found their shot, this series is over. The first four games saw Dallas get a bunch of good open looks and not convert. It was the most frustrating thing ever. Last night wasn't. Miami can't win if Dallas gets and hits those same looks.

Alright on to the real post. Again this is a post request from a loyal follower, so if you ever have post requests don't hesitate to ask. I will be happy to write on anything within the scope of this blog. I think this should have been one of my first posts, but it took awhile to form in my head. The rules of fandom, why bandwagon fans are acceptable and what it means to be a fan. One of my favorite sportswriters has already written a fan manifesto that is ever evolving. Check it out here. It's a funny read. I may repeat some but only because I truly believe them, and also because you may not go read the article.

Like Simmons, I think I shall slap together some rules in an incoherent order:

1. If you only like a certain player you can not be a fan of the team. Example, my law clerk has a good friend who is a big LeBron James fan. For that reason he claimed to be a "big" Cavaliers fan. The second, LeBron jumped ship he became a "big" Heat fan. This is the worst kind of person. You can have favorite players on favorite teams but you can not have a favorite player and then have whatever team he is on be your favorite. A better example of this is a good friend I have who is a big Troy Polamalu fan. He likes watching Steelers games, but only because of Troy and he would never consider himself a Steelers fan.

2. If you live in a city that fields two teams in the same sport pick one. You are supposed to live and die with your team (more on this later). If you genuinely think you can't lose because both your city teams are playing each other then you aren't a fan. You can not be a Yankees and Mets fan. You can not be an A's and Giants fan. There is no way you should be a Jets and Giants fan, and if you are legitimately a Clippers fan don't you dare jump on the Lakers bandwagon during the playoffs.

3. If you don't follow a sport, but a friend does, don't talk shit about your friend's team. I get this crap sometimes from people who don't follow college football and then talk shit when the Gators lose. It's dumb and pointless. I don't follow hockey but have several friends who are Sharks fans, I left them alone.

4. Your team needs to come from a place that can be regarded as your hometown. For me, I learned about sports when I was 5 and living in Dallas I adopted their teams and was lucky enough to see a game in each stadium of their baseball, basketball and football teams before I was moved to San Diego at age 8. But I took my teams with me. Sure i followed San Diego teams and became somewhat of a sports bigamist (more in the next rule) but I had my teams from my first sports home town (I was born in Baton Rouge, LA and moved from there when I was 3) and never gave them up. You can not live in Sacramento and be a Lakers fan without good reason. You can't just say well LA is in California I'm a Lakers fan. That's a frontrunner fan and ranks among the worst kind of people. I will issue one caveat though. If you live in a city without a team, you do not have to be a regional fan. If you live in Vegas you don't have to be a LA or SD fan even though they are the closest cities with teams to them (unless you consider Arizona close as well). You can pick any team, but stick with that team forever, don't waffle just because you don't have a hometown team.

5. If you lived in one town and adopted their teams and then make a long term move to another sports town I find it acceptable to be a fan of that team in certain situations. The teams need to not play in the same league or conference, nor should they have a significant rivalry if one exists. If you come from Oakland as a Warriors fan and move to Sacramento you can not also cheer for Sacramento period. However if you are a Rangers fan and move to San Diego you may also cheer for the Padres unless they ever play each other. I think sports bigamy is ok in these instances, but your new team should never override your old team even if the new team is out performing the old team.

6. Fan is derived from the term fanatic. I fully believe you should live and die with your teams. If your team wins you should feel like you won. If your team lost you should hate it. Fan spend time, money, and energy following sports and they should act as if they really are a part of the team.

7. While fans should feel like they are part of team, they shouldn't be over-the-top homers or over-the top cynics. For the latter, Philadelphia and New York fans are the worst for this. They are so quick to boo I wouldn't want to play for any team in those areas unless they made me a godfather offer that allowed me to sleep on a bed of money. It's as if those fans take pride in the fact that they aren't homers and show it by booing mercilessly. On the flip side, fans are responsible for holding their teams and its respective players accountable. Too often fans blame everything other than their own players or management and it's obnoxious. It's ok to be a fan and call out your players.

8. Bandwagon fans are ok. They don't earn respect but they are ok. Too often you hear from fans of some underground indie band complain about the new fans, as if being one of the first fans of the band is some great personal accomplishment. That's stupid. If you are a fan of some band you should want more fans of the band to increase the successes and accomplishment of that band you love so much. The same goes for sports and teams. A lot of hard core EPL fans resent casual soccer fans the same way those indie band fans resent new more mainstream fans. It's as if they feel they have a proprietary right to the sport and the non hardcore fans will ruin the sport. I live in a city with only one sports team and I would easily classify the fan base as mostly bandwagon. But when they are on the wagon, it does nothing but benefit the team. It increases the teams revenue, it holds the team accountable for putting successful products on the field/court, and it generates buzz. Of course, you should always stick with your team through thick and thin, but if you are going to be bandwagon fan at least don't be a front running fan. Don't cheer for another team while yours is down. But ultimately, I have no problem with bandwagon fans, not everyone can really devote time, money, and energy to sports, but they do fill in those gaps and make the good times that much better.

9. If you have no rooting interest root for validation. Mr. Armchair wrote this in his blog before the NBA Finals (link above) and i agree with it mostly. Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki have played instant HOF careers but are missing the one thing they need to cement the legacy. Being called champions. It's ok to root for these guys if they aren't your rivals or a team that may not live up to rival status but you have good reason for hating. If anyone in San Antonio or Houston is cheering for Dallas for validation that breaks rule number 10. If Yao Ming had a legendary career by year 13 in Houston but no title, I still wouldn't cheer for him. But, for instance I did cheer for Drew Brees two years ago. First, he was mishandled in San Diego so I had an attachment to him as a player. Second, he played for the Saints which isn't a rival or a team that has caused problems for the Cowboys leading up to that Super Bowl. But I wanted Brees validated and I was indifferent otherwise to the game. Cheering for validation within these limits should be acceptable as a fan.

10. You should openly hate your rival. This is what makes sports fun. Too much is made about people being haters. If you love a team and hate it team it gives you double excitement. You get to cheer madly for your team to win and you get to cheer madly for your rival to fail. Under no circumstances should you ever cheer for your rival unless it directly helps your team or for whatever reason you bet on them (try to keep that to a minimum). I hate the A's and actually consider them my baseball rival. But I will cheer for them to beat Seattle if Seattle continues to sit up Texas' butt in the division standings. Every team has a "rival" even if it's not historically documented. The Nationals may not have an obvious rival but those fans have surely got to be sick of hearing about how great Philadelphia and Atlanta are every year.

Those 10 rules are really what I consider important being a FANatic in the rules of fandom, and whenever they are broken it does irritate me. Agree or disagree? What does being a fan mean to you? Do you have a personal fandom rule that you really hate seeing broken? Post it below!

Death Penalties, Gold Pants, "New" Cars, and a Red Vest

So, I'm sure many of you were expecting a post after Game 2, but that is too homerish of me. I can't not post after Game 1 and then post after Game 2 when they win. I will make a few key points on the first two games though:

1. Chris Bosh sucks. All you people who called me out on that need to realize that he indeed sucks. He is shooting 26% and has more shots than LeBron. He is never doubled, he is either played man up or drives into a zone. He doesn't face the same defensive scrutiny that Wade or LeBron has this series and he can't produce. It's because his offensive game is a broke man's version of Dirk's. Of course, lets not forget the blow-by that won the game for Dallas last night. This is not a super fast athletic guy blowing by Bosh, it's Dirk who just straight abused him. I told a friend last night there are 40 guys in the league I would rather pick first for my NBA team for just this year over Bosh. A premiere player who gets 1 on 1 looks the WHOLE game would put up 30 every game. Bosh sucks. He also looks like an ostrich.



2. Miami's half-court offense sucks. I was dead-on with this as well. If Dallas can protect the ball, they can draw Miami into stagnant offense because they do not have any good half court offense. Dallas of course failed to protect the ball and that led to highlight after highlight until the last 6 minutes when Dallas scored every time down and forced Miami into half court offense and that was the most crucial part, forcing Miami to do what he does worst: half-court offense.

3. Dallas can not continue to miss open looks and expect to win. They have done it two games in a row. I understand the tough shots and the crazy team speed of Miami's defense, but Dallas has gotten plenty of open looks or drives to the basket they can't finish. They also can not turn the ball over like they did Game 2, that leads to what Miami probably does best: create a top 10 highlight on ESPN. I'm not going to say Dallas got lucky in winning Game 2, because they earned it, but they definitely beat the odds. They just can not keep doing that.

4. If Miami's shooters continue to shoot 3s how they have the first 7 quarters of this series, Dallas is in trouble. Part of the blueprint for beating Miami once you ge them in half-court sets is to make the jump shooters. All of the sudden LeBron James is Reggie Miller bombing threes, and Chalmers and Bibby have actually been executing their shots, something that hadn't happened much these playoffs.

5. Dallas in 6.

Alright enough of that. I am glad Dallas tied this series and gave me something to live for, but all it is now is a best of 5 series with Dallas having homecourt advantage. Still way too much to go. So a friend requested a post on Ohio State and college football in light of the recent news and I am happy to oblige. As long as the request comes within the scope of this blog, I will happy to write about anything you guys want me to.

So, I for one, have taken great pleasure in the dramedy (yes drama-comedy) surrounding Ohio State. Outside of Florida State, I may dislike Ohio State atheltic the most. I hate their stupid band, I hate those colors, I hate the Big Ten, and I think they are always grossly overrated by the media. Terrelle Pryor showing up to Jim Tressel's resignation in a brand-spanking new car is high on the unintentional comedy scale. How unbelievably stupid do you have to be to even do that? You know the light falls on you now, and if there is a high profile player who needed his senior season to make waves in the NFL Draft next year it was him.

Let's get this out of the way: USC and OSU's difficulties are completely different. USC had a lack of institutional control over multiple sports and basically flaunted the rules. Ohio State is being tagged for selling personal items that are not eligible for sale until after they leave for a few thousand bucks, and then Tressel covered it up. This is not benefits granted in the six figures like it was in USC's cases with Bush and Mayo. I think NCAA has said this isnt a death penatly case and I think if you are using USC as the standard it's the right call from precedent.

I think the wrong call is using USC as the standard for the "death penalty". I have already discussed the pay to play earlier and I reiterate that idea as helpful to avoid these "scandals". One thing I want to add to it, is that if they did pay to play, then the penalties for the violations need to be monstrous. In fact, the penalties need to be much stiffer in the first place. The NCAA has an awesome on field product. With the 3 year out of high school rule in place in the NFL, the kids have to play somewhere. Europe isn't an option like it is for NBA players so the NCAA shouldn't worry about a loss of talent while tightening the restrictions. The talent has to come, but if there are going to be rules in place, the penalties need to send a message. I think the NCAA is coming around on that but in the case of Ohio State, Tressel needs to be banned for years, and if there is some impropriety with Pryor's cars, he needs to be gone as well.

I worry about the image the NCAA is getting. As I stated above, they will always have a good product on the field. These kids are talented, there is variation in offense and defense schemes and there is always scoring. The NCAA stands to gain big if the NFL lockout continues, but I think too many of these "scandals" overshadow them, and give it more of an international cycling feel to it, rather than an NFL feel. People expect the schools to break the rules and just live with it since they assume every major program breaks them. So either abolish the rules, or come down with an iron fist. The NCAA makes way too much money off of college football to be unable to afford a very strong watchdog arm for violations.

I think Ohio State, the institution, comes out of this unscathed. I think OSU football will have a problem this year. But the only way you get through to the schools is to start whacking scholarships. If a coach does something wrong, suspending him or allowing him to "resign" just allows the program to go spend another 3 mil a year on someone else really good. Whacking the scholarships impacts the coach in a much more profound way. OSU needs scholarships whacked for 3 years the same way USC did. In fact, anytime a member of the football staff makes a violation it needs to be 3 years of scholarship whacking. I am tired of my second favorite sport continuing to have media coverage regarding crap like selling gold pants charms and the coach covering it up. Send messages NCAA and do it now.

Lastly, if Urban Meyer ever coaches OSU, I will be very upset. That will be tragic for any red blooded college sports fan that understands what a joke OSU and the Big 10 are. Let's hope the NCAA gets its act together and start ripping programs until they get the message.