NBA Q1

I figure since businesses do it, we can do it for the NBA. About 1/4 of the NBA season is over and this is what I've noticed.

Boston is 18-2. That means they are on pace for 74-8. The record is 72-10. They won't get it. They haven't played a road game vs. a Western Conference team yet. Here is a link to their schedule. They will lose 4+ games in February and March.

Justin was wrong about Rudy Gay eventually being on the All-What-Happened-To Team and I was wrong about Sean Williams being in the NBDL this year. I think we both forgot about how far freakish athleticism can get you. Ask Josh Smith - It doesn't matter if you don't have great skills (Smith), heart (Gay) or smoke a pound of weed everyday (Williams)... if you are a freak, you will succeed in this league.

I was right about Miami not making the playoffs. As of now they are on pace to win 24 games and they are looking at a top 5 pick. Golden State would be the 8th seed right now but they are only a half a game up on Houston who will finish above them.

I told you New Orleans was legit! New Orleans and Orlando... they are both complete teams. Guards who can create, shooters on the wing, big guys who can score down low... and they make it hard to get points in the paint. This is basically how the Pistons have been successful. By being a complete team. Speaking of the Pistons, they have been rather under the radar this year but they will be heard of when it comes playoff time. I'd watch every second of a Detroit/Orlando second round series. Too bad they'd beat each other up and both would get beat in 5 games by the Cs but ohh well.

If you have had the chance to watch Carmelo this year, you will agree with the following statement... Besides Kobe, he is the most complete offensive player in the NBA.

Stephon Marbury needs to quit basketball.

The Wolves would have twice as many wins with Randy Foye.

I can't wait to write about the Blazers after Q1 next year. Oden + Another Lottery Pick + Paul Allen buying someone + Roy's third year + LMA's third year = Home Court Advantage??? Depends on PG play.

The Wiz are going to be the nice when Gilbert comes back. It's through expanded roles when superstars are down that role players gain confidence. This injury could pay off in the long run.

Sacramento hasn't won a road game yet.

It's time for Kidd to stop carrying the Nets to a 6 seed. The Nets owe it to him to let him try to win one. If I were them... I'd move all 3 of the Big 3. Load up on picks and start over. Try to contend in 5 years because this middle of the road business is killing me, and J Kidd.

2003 High School Grads

So I already gave you an update on the 2002 High School class of basketball and football players... it's time to check out the Class of 2003. Once again, we will start with the hoopers.

Point Guard
1. Chris Paul - Wake Forest
2. Mustafa Shakur - Arizona
3. Drew Lavender - Oklahoma (then Xavier)
4. Gary Ervin - Mississippi St.
5. Aaron Brooks - Oregon
6. Ayinde Ubaka - California
7. Brandon Jenkins - Louisville
8. Marcus Williams - UConn
9. Matt Causey - Georgetown
10. Michael Nardi - Villanova
Others - 15. Dekek Ravio, Gonzaga - 18. Will Blalock, Iowa State - 24. Acie Law IV, Texas A&M - NR Zabian Dowdell, Virginia Tech

Shooting Guard
1. LeBron James - NBA
2. Shannon Brown - Michigan State
3. Dorell Wright - DePaul
4. Michael Jones - Maryland
5. Dion Harris - Michigan
6. Brandon Cotton - Michigan State
7. Richard McBride - Illinois
8. Guillermo Diaz - Miami (FL)
9. Taurean Minor - LSU
10. Rodrick Stewart - USC
Others - 11. Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas - 26. D.J. Strawberry, Maryland - 35. Lee Humphrey, Florida

Small Forward
1. Luol Deng - Duke
2. Charlie Villanueva - UConn
3. Von Wafer - Florida State
4. Travis Outlaw - Mississippi State
5. Trevor Ariza - UCLA
6. Olu Famutimi - Arkansas
7. J.R. Giddens - Kansas
8. Demetris Nichols - Syracuse
9. Sean Banks - Memphis
10. Regis Koundija - LSU
Others - 13. Lodrick Stewart, USC - 15. Reyshawn Terry, North Carolina - 19. Dominic McGuire, California (then Fresno St.) - 21. Renaldo Balkman, South Carolina - 26. Adam Morrison, Gonzaga - NR Morris Almond, Rice - NR Jared Dudley, Boston College - NR Sean Marshall, Boston College

Power Forward
1. Ndudi Ebi - NBA (Almost Arizona)
2. Leon Powe - California
3. Linas Kleiza - Missouri
4. Brandon Bass - LSU
5. Kris Humphris - Minnesota
6. Alexander Johnson - Florida State
7. Terrance Roberts - Syracuse
8. Chris Richard - Florida
9. Ekene Ibekwe - Maryland
10. Mohamed Abukar - Florida
Others - 13. P.J. Tucker, Texas - 14. Brent Petway, Michigan - 17. Marcus Slaughter, San Diego State - NR Nick Fazekas, Nevada

Center
1. David Padgett - Kansas
2. Kendrick Perkins - NBA (Almost Memphis)
3. Brian Butch - Wisconsin
4. James Lang - Undrafted DLeager (Interview)
5. Darryl Watkins - Syracuse
6. Martin Iti - Charlotte
7. Major Wingate - Tennessee
8. Chris Taft - Pittsburgh
9. Coutney Sims - Michigan
10. Wesley Green - DePaul
Others - 12. Josh Boone, UConn - 14. Jackie Butler, Tennessee - NR Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh - NR Paul Millsap, Louisiana Tech

Gridiron Time...

Quarterbacks
1. John David Booty - USC
2. Kyle Wright - Miami (FL)
3. Chris Leak - Florida
4. JaMarcus Russell - LSU
5. Tommy Grady - Oklahoma
6. Robert Lane - Mississippi
7. Justin Midgett - Florida
8. Dennis Dixon - Oregon
9. Omarr Conner - Mississippi State
10. T.C. Ostrander - Stanford
Others - 14. Brady Quinn, Notra Dame - 15. Michael Bush, Louisville (RB) - 17. Matt Flynn, LSU - Andre Woodson, Kentucky - 25. Reggie Ball, Georgia Tech - 28. Todd Boeckman, Ohio State - 38. Sam Keller, Arizona State - 40. Drew Tate - Iowa - 44. Matt Ryan, Boston College - 55. Kevin Kolb, Houston - 63. Tyler Donovan, Wisconsin

Runningback
1. Demetris Summers - South Carolina
2. Kregg Lumpkin - Georgia
3. Reggie Bush - USC
4. Tyrone Moss - Miami (FL)
5. Barrington Edwards - LSU
6. Maurice Jones-Drew - UCLA
7. Chauncy Washington - USC
8. Erik Hardeman - Texas
9. Le'Ron McClain -
10. Rashaun Grant - Georgia Tech
Others - 11. Alley Broussard, LSU - 13. Austin Scott, PSU - 14. Lendale White, USC - 29. Tony Hunt, PSU - 39. Louis Rankin, Washington - 90. Chris Henry, Arizona - NR Brandon Markey, Brown - NR Laurence Maroney, Minnesota - Yvenson Bernard, Oregon State

Wide Receiver
1. Whitney Lewis - USC
2. Andre Caldwell - Florida
3. Chad Jackson - Florida
4. Sean Bailey - Georgia
5. Robert Meachem - Tennessee
6. Steve Smith - USC
7. Lyonel Anderson - Kansas
8. Jayson Swain - Tennessee
9. Dwyane Bowe - LSU
10. Anthony Hill - LSU
Others - 13. Mark Bradford, Stanford - 14. De'Cody Fagg, Florida State - 15. Craig Davis, LSU - 16. Adarius Bowman, North Carolina (then Oklahoma State) - 25. Jeff Samardzija, Notre Dame - 30. Limas Sweed, Texas - 108. Corey Mazza, Harvard - 126. Kevin Challenger, Boston College - NR Rudy Burgess, Arizona State

Linebacker
1. Ernie Sims - Florida State
2. Wesley Jefferson - Maryland
3. Prescott Burgess - Michigan
4. Earl Everett - Florida State
5. Ahmad Brooks - Virginia
6. Robert Killebrew - Texas
7. Daniel Brooks - Tennessee
8. Justin Warren - Texas A&M
9. Jim Presley - Michigan
10. DeMarrio Pleasant - Oklahoma
Others - 12. Vince Hall, Virginia Tech - 20. Paul Posluszny, Penn State - 25. Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech - NR Zak DeOssie, Brown

Safety
1. Brandon Owens - Minnesota
2. Tony Cade - Oklahoma
3. Daryl Johnson - LSU
4. Quinton Culberson - Mississippi State
5. Reggie Nelson - Florida
6. Tom Zbikowski - Notre Dame
7. Freddie Parish - Notre Dame
8. Corey Campbell - Tennessee
9. Willie Cooper - Miami (FL)
10. LaRon Landry - LSU
Others - 14. Dennis Keyes, UCLA - 35. Terrell Thomas, USC - 68. Eric Brock, Auburn - 85. Ko Simpson, South Carolina

Cornerbacks
1. Donte Whitner - Ohio State
2. Tarell Brown - Texas
3. Antonio Cromartie - Florida State
4. Dee Webb - Florida
5. Paul Oliver - Georgia
6. Dareus Hiley - Ohio State
7. Leon Hall - Michigan
8. Anthony Gonzalez - Ohio State (WR)
9. Ryan Gilliam - Oregon
10. Kenny Scott - Georgia Tech
Others - 24. Ashton Youboty, Ohio State - 26. Michael Griffin, Texas - 43. Desmond Reed, USC - 75. Eric Wright, USC (then UNLV) - 80. Brandon Foster, Texas

Roids Anyone ???

I'm nauseated from all this talk about athletes and anabolic steroids.

Actually, no I'm not. But I'm getting close.

Until that time comes, here's a youtube peak into what that magical potion -- in either liquid or capsule form -- can really do for you.

This short-armed dude named Ryan Kennelly is about to bench 1050. Yeah, it's five 100 lb. plates you see on each side of the bar.



Now that his miraculous drug-aided feat is over, might somebody please tell me what's up with the mouthpiece he rips up from his jaw at the end?
I didn't know power-lifting became a contact sport.

A Tribute to Sean Taylor

Whether Skins fans or not, we'll all miss him.
R.I.P. Sean

Boom Goes the Dynamite

Just one word: PATHETIC

NFL Intermission

Being Halfway through the NFL season we felt the need to point out some things.

Shaun Alexander has been running like a little b**** since he signed that big contract in 2005 and it's the worst it's ever been this year. This guy used to hit holes and fall forward, now he looks like a skinny suburban white kid playing against an All-Black team from the hood. I understood why the Rams WRs used to hit the turf when there wasn't anymore yards to get, I mean they got more yards on the next play anyways... but you can't dive on the ground if your a runningback. Shaun Alexander has played in all 8 games and he is on pace for less than 1000 yards (984) this year. In previous year when he has played the whole season, his low was 1175. Also, his shortest long run (stay with me) was 44 yards, this year... it's currently 22 yards. Lastly, in those years he never averaged under 4 yards per carry, this year he's at 3.3.

2 Rookie LBs have stood out to me so far this year. Patrick Willis (49ers) is a beast... no wonder why an agent offered him $75,000 to sign with him when he was a junior in college. Also, undrafted rookie David Harris (Jets) just gets better the more and more he plays. Harris has 41 tackles in his last 2 games.

When the season started, who would have thought Wes Welker (651 yards, 61 cathces and 7 TDs), Kevin Curtis (653 yards, 40 cathces and 4 TDs) and Jason Whitten (629 yards, 47 cathces and 5 TDs) would each be having better seasons then former 1000-yard receivers Steve Smith, Roy Willams, Donald Driver, Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, Lee Evans and Hines Ward? OK.... maybe not Hines Ward.
I would argue though that the success of Wes, Kev and J doesn't say as much about the talent they each possess as it does about the talent of their respective quarterbacks: Brady, Romo and D-Mac.
Not too long ago, I read about a bunch of former and current NFL head coaches, including Brian Billick, John Fox, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick and Bill Cowher, who all subscribe to the theory that it is better to surround a mediocre quarterback with great talent than it is to surround a great quarterback with mediocre talent. Judging by the fact that Trent Dilfer is the only contemporary QB who proves the theory of these coaches -- many of whom will end up in the hall-of-fame -- I can unequivocally say that they are all WRONG. For anyone who wants to dispute this just look at the combined records of New England, Green Bay, Dallas and Indy, which all posses hall-of-fame quarterbacks. (That's right, I said it, Romo will make the hall). Then look at the records of the Panthers, Cardinals, Rams and Lions, which all possess hall-of-fame receivers.
Anyway, my long-winded point is let's not be so quick to call this the year of the white pass catcher. Because it's not. But it is -- and will remain -- the year of the quarterback.

Anything/Anyone affiliated with USC since 2005 has had a terrible year (except LenDale White in his last 3 games). Dwayne Jarrett has 6 receiving yards on the year and has been placed on the inactive list due to performance. Steve Smith has not been taking advantage of Eli Mannings development and has only brought in 4 catches for 26 yards. Reggie Bush has 434 rushing yards halfway through the season. He has been in the league for a year and a half and doesn't have 1,000 career rushing yards. Matt Leinart is now injured but that might be helping the Cards. In his 5 games he averaged 129 yards passing a game with a QB rating of 61.9 largely because he had twice as many interceptions and touchdowns. Also, his commercials do not make me laugh. Frostee Rucker has one career tackle halfway through his second season. Mike Williams got cut from the Raidiers. Nothing more to be said. Winston Justice gave up 6 sacks to Osi Umenyiora in a game this year. Dominique Byrd has 6 career catches in his 1.5 year career. Thank God the pre-2005 USC players Carson Palmer, Troy Polamalu, Mike Peterson and Lofa Tatufo are handing their business or USC would be considered the Duke basketball (please know what I'm referring to) of college football.

Freaks are back in. I appreciate watching people who are successful in the league because they have great technique but it really fun to watch athletes with fresk-ish abilities. Adrian Peterson, Randy Moss, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Plaxico Burress have produced some of the best highlights of the year. Hopefully there will be more to come. I mean, would you rather watch Marvin Harrison run a perfect route and sit in a zone for a 16 yard catch or watch one of those "freaks" do something that makes you say "it looks like he's playing against high schoolers"? Exactly. I should actually throw Brett Farve into this category too. People his age aren't supposed to do what he does either. It'll be fun to see him in the playoffs again.

New England* is the best team I've seen in my lifetime, but I'm still not convinced that they're unbeatable. The Harrison-less Colts surrendered a late lead and lost by just four points to them. Had Harrison played, I think the end result would have been different. Although I won't bet against them winning the Super Bowl, I see four teams capable of beating the Pats: the Steelers, the Colts, the Cowboys and the Packers. Still, even if the Pats remain undefeated, we should all follow the lead of the New York Post and always mention the Pats* with an asterisk attached.

The Bears and The Bengals should play one day before the Super Bowl for the title of biggest disappointment of the year. Earlier it looked like this hypothetical game would feature New Orleans and San Diego but they show some signs of life. Bears/Bengals it is.

Since the Pats are going to win the Super Bowl, I'm going to check out Mel Kiper's ratings.

This Weekend - 11/10 & 11/11

This week we have a guest prognosticator on our hands... Mr. Simmons (RS).

Louisville at West Virginia (RS) (BM) (JA)
Texas A&M at Missouri (RS) (BM) (JA)
Arkansas (BM) (JA) at Tennessee (RS)
Illinois at Ohio State (RS) (BM) (JA)
Arizona State (RS) (BM) (JA) at UCLA
Auburn (RS) (BM)(JA) at Georgia
Florida State at Virginia Tech (RS) (BM) (JA)
Connecticut (RS) at Cincinnati (BM) (JA)
Florida (RS) (BM) (JA) at South Carolina
Kansas (RS) (BM) (JA) at Oklahoma State
Boston College (RS) (JA) at Maryland (BM)
USC (RS) (BM) (JA) at California
Virginia at Miami (FL) (RS) (BM) (JA)

Minnesota at Green Bay (RS) (BM) (JA)
Jacksonville at Tennessee (RS) (BM) (JA)
Denver (RS) at Kansas City (BM) (JA)
Buffalo (RS) (BM) (JA) at Miami
St. Louis at New Orleans (RS) (BM) (JA)
Cleveland at Pittsburgh (RS) (BM) (JA)
Philadelphia (RS) (JA) at Washington (BM)
Atlanta at Carolina (RS) (BM) (JA)
Cincinnati at Baltimore (RS) (BM) (JA)
Dallas (RS) (JA) at NY Giants (BM)
Detroit (RS) (BM) (JA) at Arizona
Chicago (RS) (BM) (JA) at Oakland
Indianapolis (RS) (BM) at San Diego (JA)
San Francisco at Seattle (RS) (BM) (JA)

Brandon: 132-61 Overall (54-25 NCAA, 78-36 NFL)
Justin: 117-77 Overall (46-33 NCAA, 71-44 NFL)

2002 High School Grads

Okay, a lot of this blog has been about what's going on now, and what will happen in the future... it's time to take it back, way back, back into time (remember that Blackstreet song?).

These HS rankings are according to scout.com. Let's start out with the Hoopers.


(NR means Not Rated, scout.com rated players at a position until they feel like there is a major dropoff and the rest of the players are given stars - the more the better).

Point Guards
1. Raymond Felton - UNC
2. Daniel Horton - Michigan
3. Anthony Roberson - Florida
4. Chris Rodgers - Arizona
5. Dee Brown - Illinois
6. Sean Dockery - Duke
7. Elijah Ingram - St. Johns (NY)
8. Gerry McNamara - Syracuse
9. Jarrett Jack - Georgia Tech
10. Bryan Hopkins - SMU
11. John Gilchrist - Maryland
12. Deron Williams - Illinois
13. Justin Grey - Wake Forest
14. Chris Quinn - Notre Dame
15. Dedrick Finn - Xavier
Others - 24. Donnie McGrath, Providence - NR Louis Hinnant, Boston College

Shooting Guards
1. Rashad McCants - UNC
2. J.J. Redick - Duke
3. Bracey Wright - Indiana
4. Hassan Adams - Arizona
5. Rashad Anderson - UConn
6. Brandon Roy - Washington
7. Randy Foye - Villanova
8. Marshall Strickland - Indiana
9. Jimmy McKinney - Missouri
10. Allen Ray - Villanova
11. Vincent Grier - Charlotte
12. Matt Walsh - Florida
13. Maurice Ager - Michigan State
14. Chris McCray - Maryland
15. Jeremy Hunt - Memphis
Others - 16. Robert Hite, Miami (FL) - 17. Taguan Dean, Louisville - 25. Quincy Douby, Rutgers - NR Patrick Beilein, West Virginia - NR Marcellus Kemp, Nevada

Small Forwards
1. Carmelo Anthony - Syracuse
2. Lenny Cooke - Never Made It (STORY)
3. Evan Burns - UCLA (then San Diego St.)
4. Kennedy Winston - Alabama
5. Antoine Wright - Texas A&M
JC - Qyntel Woods - Memphis
6. Andre Iguodala - Arizona
7. Denham Brown - UConn
8. Kelenna Azubuike - Kentucky
9. Curtis Sumpter - Villanova
10. J.R. Morris - Seton Hall
11. Erick Hicks - Cincinnati
12. Lester Abram - Michigan
13. Antonio Lawrence - San Jose St.
14. Marquis Kately - California
15. Francisco Garcia - Louisville
16. Derrick Byers - Virginia (then Vandy)
17. Steve Novak - Marquette
Others - 24. Nik Caner-Medley, Maryland - 25. Brandon Bowman, Georgetown - NR Trent Strickland, Wake Forest - NR Bobby Jones, Washington - NR David Noel, North Carolina - NR Rodney Carney, Memphis

Power Forwards
1. Paul Davis - Michigan State
2. Chris Bosh - Georgia Tech
3. Sheldon Williams - Duke
4. DeAngelo Collins - Never Made It (STORY, NOW)
5. Sean May - North Carolina
6. Shavlik Randolph - Duke
7. Brad Buckman - Texas
8. Sani Ibrahim - Never Made It (Draft Profile)
9. Travis Garrison - Maryland
10. Kevin Bookout - Oklahoma
11. Alexander Johnson - Florida State
12. Greg Brunner - Iowa
13. Almany Thiero - Memphis
14. James Augustine - Illinois
15. Chuck Davis - Alabama
Others - 23. Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia - NR Herbert Hill, Providence

Centers
1. Amare Stoudemire - NBA (Almost Memphis)
2. Jason Fraser - Villanova
3. Torin Francis - Notre Dame
4. Eric Williams - Wake Forest
5. Mike Thompson - Duke
6. Mario Boggan - Florida/JC/Okla St.
7. Julius Lamptey - Never Made It
8. Ike Diogu - Arizona State
9. Keith Butler - Temple
10. Matt Haryasz - Stanford
Others - NR Hilton Armstrong, UConn - NR Rafael Araujo, BYU - NR Andrew Bogut, Utah

NOW LETS TAKE IT TO THE GRIDIRON...

Quarterback
1. Vince Young - Texas
2. Trent Edwards - Stanford
3. Ben Olson - BYU (then UCLA)
4. Reggie McNeal - Texas A&M
5. Gavin Dickey - Florida
6. Marcus Vick - Virginia Tech
7. James Banks - Tennessee (WR)
8. Tyler Palko - Pittsburgh
9. Isaiah Stanback - Washington
10. Brandon Cox - Auburn
Others - 14. Justin Zwick, Ohio State - 15. Troy Smith, Ohio State - 16. Drew Olson, UCLA - 30. Steve Breaston, Michigan (WR) - 35. Will Proctor, Clemson

Runningback
1. Lorenzo Booker - Florida State
2. Ciatrick Fason - Florida
3. Michael Johnson - Virginia
4. Gerald Riggs - Tennessee
5. Maurice Clarett - Ohio State
6. DeShawn Wynn - Florida
7. Justin Vincent - LSU
8. Jason Allen - Tennessee
9. David Richard - Michigan State
10. Paul Mosley - Baylor
Others - 12. Hershal Dennis, USC - 17. Selvin Young, Texas - 26. Jerious Norwood, Miss. State - 51. Kenny Irons, South Carolina (then Auburn) - 57. Reggie Merriweather, Clemson - NR Clifton Dawson, Northwestern (then Harvard), NR DeAngelo Williams, Arkansas (then Memphis)

Wide Receiver
1. Ryan Moore - Miami (FL)
2. Dishon Platt - Florida State
3. Rhema McKnight - Notre Dame
4. Chris Davis - Florida State
5. Akieem Jolla - Miami (FL)
6. Marquis Johnson - Texas
7. Michael Jefferson - Arizona
8. Travis Wilson - Oklahoma
9. Joel Filani - Texas Tech
10. Jason Avant - Michgan
11. Ben Obomanu - Auburn
12. Maurice Stovall - Notre Dame
13. Santonio Holmes - Ohio State
14. Broderic Jones - Tulsa
15. Larry Fitzgerald - Pittsburgh
Others - 32. Wali Lundy, Virginia (RB) - 34. Troy Williamson, South Carolina - 51. Sinorice Moss, Miami (FL) - 73. Chansi Stuckey, Clemson - 75. Mike Williams, USC - 90. Dejaun Woods, Oklahoma State

Tight End
1. Marcedes Lewis - UCLA
2. Eric Winston - Miami (FL)
3. Curtis Justus - Miami (FL)
4. Leonard Pope - Georgia
5. Lonnie Davis - Florida State
6. Matt Herian - Nebraska
7. R.J. Coleman - Ohio State
8. Aaron Kirkland - Tennessee
9. Stan White - Ohio State
10 Jesse Taylor - Washington State
Others - 12. Anthony Fasano, Notre Dame - 17. Davis Thomas, Texas

Sorry OL, DL - No Love 4 Ya'll

Linebacker
1. Mike D'Andrea - Ohio State
2. A.J. Nicholson - Florida State
3. Ahmad Brooks - Virginia
4. Berkeley Hutchinson - Rutgers
5. Kai Parham - Virginia
6. Aaron Harris - Texas
7. Marvin Byrdsong - Mississippi State
8. Buster Davis - Florida State
9. Kelvin Flood - Texas A&M
10. Ricardo Hurley - South Carolina
Others - 16. Dominique Byrd, USC (TE) - 18. Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma - 22. Bobby Carpenter, Ohio State - 32. A.J. Hawk, Ohio State - 38. Brian Leonard, Rutgers (FB)

Safety
1. Pat Watkins - Florida State
2. Darnell Bing - USC
3. Darren Williams - Mississippi State
4. Kyle Brown - Michigan State
5. Brodney Pool - Oklahoma
6. Eric McNeal - UCLA
7. Mike Nixon - UCLA
8. Vincent Mays - Fresno State
9. Vickiel Vaughn - Arkansas
10. Anthony Wright - Texas A&M
Others - 20. Dallas Sartz, USC (LB) - 27. Brandon Meriweather, Miami (FL) - J.J. Billingsley, Colorado - 34. Jimmy Williams, Virginia Tech - 64. Dashon Goldson, Washington

Cornerback
1. Devin Hester - Miami (FL)
2. A.J. Davis - North Carolina State
3. Edorian McCullough - Texas
4. Mike Hawkins - Oklahoma
5. Jason Carter - Oklahoma
6. Richard Washington - North Carolina State
7. Will Blackmon - Boston College
8. Aaron Miller - Oklahoma
9. Leon Washington - Florida State (RB)
10. Nicholas Turner - Mississippi State
Others - 11. Aaron Ross, Texas - 19. Skyler Green, LSU (WR) - 31. Justin Wyatt, USC

So there you have it. The High School Grads of 2002. I am sure you know a lot of the names but there are many people on these lists who did not live up to their potential. Check back in a few days and I'll break down the 2003 class.

JORDAN XX3

The photo of the new Jordan XX3's, which are due to hit stores in Feb. 2008 is out. They are being touted as the best J's ever so I wanted y'all to catch an early glimpse of them.

They are saying that only 23 stores will receive these shoes and each store will sell only 23 pairs. At $230 a pop, I'm not sure that that's true, but that's how they are being marketed.


Personally, I don't think these J's are all that. The 11s are still top on my list.

What do y'all think about the XX3s?

Prove Em Wrong Josh Johnson

This time of year, every year, even more so this year... a lot of college football programs have failed to live up to their expectations. Whether it's bad luck, bad coaching, injuries, bad referring or most likely, bad performances by players... college coaches/fans/players all think what the year could have been if a few things went a little differently. With that said... I'd like to introduce to you a quarterback that your college passed up on. Josh Johnson of Univ. of San Diego. The guy who would have your team playing a lot better (except about 10-15 teams).

Football is a sport where most of the scholarships are given to kids before their senior year. That means coaches are evaluating athletes' junior seasons and giving scholarships based on those performances. So college coaches have to look at a 16 or 17 year old, close there eyes and determine if they could help their program when they're 21, 22, 23 years old. College recruiting is hard. And there are many stories about guys who walk-on, become captains of their team and All-Conference performers and there are many stories about guys who were All-Americans in numerous publications and fail to perform. Guys like Johnson, no matter how talented they are, unless they turned a lot of heads in their sophomore year in high school, go into their senior year at a major disadvantage.

As I mentioned earlier, Josh Johnson was injured his junior year in high school. As a senior, he 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns with just 2 interceptions. When I realized he went to Oakland Tech (High School) I was surprised he fell through the cracks. Marshawn Lynch was the runningback on that team and Lynch was highly touted coming out of high school so someone should have seen him on film. That is often times how kids are found. Johnson also played basketball and high jumped 6'5 in high school. Basically... kid is an athlete. Only received offers to play at San Diego, St. Mary's (doesn't have a football team anymore) and Idaho State. Let's just say San Diego is happy he fell into their lap.

Here is a link to his USD player page for more information about him and what he accomplished prior to his senior year at San Diego.

He is going out with a bang this year though. His Torerros are currently 8-1, he's completing 72% of his passes... he has throw 35 touchdowns and 1 interception (241 attempts), he has 2,500 passing yards and 560 rushing. If I had a vote for the Walter Payton Award, he'd get it. Check out his Sports Network page with his stats for the year.

Team Dime Worth A Dime

I used to be a BIG Mike Bibby fan... he used to kill in college and then those years where the Kings were relevant, he was the man.

With that said... I am going to fry him right now. And not just because he was the worst tattoos in the NBA.


My God Brother lived in Sacramento so I can understand his bias, but I could not let him tell me that Mike Bibby is a good PG still.

Now I'm not a big stat guy, but I will admit stats do assist in the judgment of player's productivity. Like in the NFL, runningbacks who are considered elite runningbacks have to get 1,000 yards in a year. Elite pitchers in baseball should get at least 15 wins. There are statistical plateaus in every sport that help us identify who the premier players are at the position.

For point guards in the NBA, it's about how much offense you can produce. The formula I'm going to use is POINTS + (ASSISTS x 2.5) = POINTS PRODUCED. I multiply the assists by 2.5 because some assists lead to 3 pointers and some would-be-assists turn into points at the free throw line.

Using this formula, there is a point producing plateau of 30 points per game. The elite point guards in the NBA are producing over 30 points a game... and Mike Bibby isn't doing that. Readers Beware: If you are a Mike Bibby fan, or Mike Bibby, these numbers might scare you.


Here are the top producing PGs in the NBA:

47.6 - Steve Nash
44.3 - Allen Iverson
43.4 - Gilbert Arenas
40.4 - Baron Davis
39.5 - Deron Williams
39.5 - Chris Paul
36.0 - Jason Kidd
35.0 - Chauncy Billiups
33.8 - TJ Ford
32.9 - Andre Miller
32.6 - Mo Williams
32.4 - Tony Parker
32.1 - Kirk Hinrich
31.5 - Raymond Felton
30.4 - Ben Gordon
30.1 - Jamal Tinsley

PLATEAU

29.9 - Stephon Marbury
29.7 - Jason Terry
28.9 - MIKE BIBBY
25.6 - Brevin Knight
23.8 - Jameer Nelson (shockingly low; Orlando wants to build around this guy???)

That's pretty much the bottom of the barrel of point guards who really don't share time. Excluding Allen Iverson who is really a 2 guard., and either Hinrich OR Gordon because one of them is technically a 2 guard, that puts 14 PGs over the plateau and Bibby is coming in at 17th in the NBA. That's the bottom half of the NBA.

His 2004-2005 season he produced 36.6 points a game for his team. He doesn't have the same guys around him but that should increase the team's need for him to score, but yet's it's gone down by 2ppg. If he is a scoring point guard, he need to do way better than the 17ppg with 40% shooting from the field he put out last year. You either have to put up major points or set up teammates. He is doing neither.

I really do think he has a case of the I-Don't-Give-A-F***s... Vince Carter got them in Toronto, Randy Moss got them in Oakland. Maybe he'll be moved and with a fresh start on a contender he can give them better than average point guard play. He's is not damaged goods yet, but he is far from an elite guard in the NBA.

I didn't even talk about his defense, HA! For right now, we'll just leave it with him not being an elite guard and needing to do, or create more of these (below)... a ball going through what I think is a rims and what I think is supposed to be a net.

This Weekend - 11/3 & 11/4

Wisconsin at Ohio State (BM) (JA)
Wake Forest (JA) at Virginia (BM)
Nebraska (BM) at Kansas (JA)
Michigan (BM) (JA) at Michigan State
Texas (BM) (JA) at Oklahoma State
Cincinnati (JA) at South Florida (BM)
LSU (BM) (JA) at Alabama
Missouri (BM) (JA) at Colorado
Arizona State (JA) at Oregon (BM)
Rutgers (BM) (JA) at Connecticut
Florida State (BM) at Boston College (JA)
Oregon State at USC (BM) (JA)

Denver at Detroit (BM) (JA)
San Francisco at Atlanta (BM) (JA)
Cincinnati (BM) (JA) at Buffalo
Carolina at Tennessee (BM) (JA)
Green Bay (JA) at Kansas City (BM)
San Diego (BM) (JA) at Minnesota
Jacksonville at New Orleans (BM) (JA)
Washington (BM) (JA) at NY Jets
Arizona at Tampa Bay (BM) (JA)
Seattle (JA) at Cleveland (BM)
New England (BM) (JA) at Indianapolis
Houston (JA) at Oakland (BM)
Dallas (JA) at Philadelphia (BM)
Baltimore at Pittsburgh (BM) (JA)

Brandon: 113-54 Overall (45-22 NCAA, 68-32 NFL)
Justin: 98-69 Overall (38-29 NCAA, 60-40 NFL)

Hopeless Notre Dame

This video cracks me up. Notre Dame is a joke.

replacement. They didn't get that guy from Utah, A lot of ND fans are saying "Can Charlie" just like they demanded Tyrone Willingham'suhhh.... think his name is Urban something... you know that guy who won the championship last year. Him. Instead, their second choice, the Big Guy, Charlie Weis. Let's compare Charlie's first 3 years to Tyrone's to see if these ND fans have a point.

First Year
Both coaches had 10 win first season. Tyrone started out 8-0 before losing to Boston College at home. He finished 10-3 and was 4-2 against ranked opponents including a win over Michigan. Charlie also beat Michigan in his first year but lost to an unranked Michigan State the next week. He ended up going 9-3 and he was 3-2 against ranked opponents (losses to USC and Ohio State).

Second Year
Tyrone hit a speed bump in his second year. They were 5-7 and went 1-4 against ranked opponents with those losses being by 38, 13, 31 and 37 points. Bob Davie's below average recruiting was to blame and rightfully so; but with expectations being elevated the previous year, Ty's second year was a disappointment. Charlie's went 10-3 in his second year at Notre Dame but when you actually look at who he beat, it's not that impressive. He was 1-3 vs. ranked opponents and his losses to ranked teams were by 26, 20 and 27. But there is something to be said about beating who you are supposed to. He did this with the recruiting class Tyrone brought in after his 10 win season. That class consisted of all the seniors and redshirt juniors on the team. That's what good football teams do.

Third Year
Tyrone went 6-6, beat Michigan and went 2-2 against ranked opponents. He lost his last 3 games of the year though, including a 31 point loss to USC and a 17 point loss to Oregon State. Losses like that on national television were just another reason ND's AD gave when firing Ty after his third year even though the players who he brought in after his 10 win season were just redshirt freshmen and true sophomores. Charlie Weis is currently in his third season and he is having by far the worst season of this millennium for the Irish (okay, really this decade). They are currently 1-7 and are averaging only 10 point per game while they are giving up close to 30 points per game. Luckily, they have only Navy, Air Force, Duke and Stanford left on their schedule.

I cannot really say that Charlie should be fired, but this is a program that has set a standard of giving coaches only 3 years to perform. It would be unfair to Tyrone Willingham if Weis is the head coach next season. Ideally, I would love for ND's Athletic Director to say this...

"I know we only gave Tyrone Willingham 3 years but that was a mistake. We are big boys, we can say we were wrong. With that being said, we are deciding to keep Charlie on board even though the product he put out on the field this year was unacceptable. We are not going to make the same mistake twice. We look forward to better days in the future. Go Irish"

What do you think?

10 Reasons Why... Warriors Won't Make Playoffs

Some of you believed me when I said the Heat are not going to make the playoffs this year, but hopefully more of you will see the light after I explain the top 10 reasons why the Warriors will not make the playoffs this year.

10. Baron Davis is going to retire and pursue a career in fashion design because Deron Williams killed him in the playoffs last year.

9. Al Harrington is still their best post player.

8. Stephen Jackson hasn't "set it off" in Tha Town yet.

7. Everyone on the team has a shoot-first mentality.

6. Snoop's identity crisis. We don't know where his loyalties are, therefore we do not know who he will support this year. Snoop helped LA get 3 rings this decade but if he isn't backing the Warriors, ther are doomed.


5. Five teams are a lock to make the playoffs in the West, even if they have some injuries.

5A. Houston
5B. Dallas
5C. San Antonio
5D. Phoenix
5E. Utah

That leaves everyone else fighting for the last 3 spots.

4. Don Nelson's drinking problems.

3. The 3 teams who I think will get the last playoffs spots all got better.

3A. Denver - First full year of AI and Melo.
3B. Los Angeles - Derek Fisher is an improvement at PG and Andrew Bynum has developed well.
3C. New Orleans - Byfar, the most injured team last year is now a complete and healthy team.

2. Baron Davis will never play 82 games in a season and he will need to if the Warriors have a chance.

1. No Jason Richardson. Really the backbone of this franchise this decade was traded for trade bait. Anytime you lose a 20+ppg scorer it's going to hurt. You can say the development of Barnes and Ellis and pickin up Belinelli will help fill the void but you can only have 5 guys on the court at once. In the 4th quarter, they are going to have one less superstar on the court. His replacement (whichever one of the previously mentioned 3) is not as good as he is, it's actually a major drop off.

This team finished 16-5 and barely got into the playoffs last year. This year, the teams they are competing against to get into the playoffs got better and they got worse. Sorry Warriors fans, they are not making the playoffs this year.

I'll still be going to the games though. Please Uncle Steve.

This Weekend - 10/27 & 10/28

Boston College (JA) at Virginia Tech (BM)
West Virginia (JA)(BM) at Rutgers
USC at Oregon (JA)(BM)
South Florida (JA)(BM) at Connecticut
Florida (JA)(BM) at Georgia
Nebraska at Texas (JA)(BM)
Kansas at Texas A&M (JA)(BM)
South Carolina (JA)(BM) at Tennessee
Ohio State (JA)(BM) at Penn State
California (JA)(BM) at Arizona State

Indianapolis (JA)(BM) at Carolina
Cleveland (JA)(BM) at St. Louis
NY Giants (JA)(BM) at Miami
Philadelphia (BM) at Minnesota (JA)
Pittsburgh (JA) at Cincinnati (BM)
Detroit (BM) at Chicago (JA)
Oakland at Tennessee (JA)(BM)
Buffalo (BM) at NY Jets (JA)
Jacksonville (JA)(BM) at Tampa Bay
Houston at San Diego (JA)(BM)
New Orleans (JA)(BM) at San Francisco
Washington at New England (JA)(BM)
Green Bay (JA) at Denver (BM)

Brandon: 98-47 Overall (41-16 NCAA, 57-30 NFL)
Justin: 83-61 Overall (33-24 NCAA, 50-37 NFL)

The 2 Best Shots from 2006

Since the NBA season is about to kickoff, I figured I'd let everyone know my favorite set of shots from last season. No, they didn't come from LeBron or Kobe. No, not Nash or Gordon.

They Came from "Thunder" Dan Majerle..

Watch our predecessors discuss Majerle and let me know if you remember a better set of shots from last season:

Rookie Predictions (11-20)

A couple days ago I gave my predictions on the first 10 rookies drafted and now it's time to look at the next 10.

11th Pick - Acie Law IV, Hawks
I think he is going to end up being the next Nick Van Exel but he won't have the same rookie season that "Nick The Quick"/"Nick At Night" had in which he averaged 13/6 (started 80 games and averaged 33 minutes per game for the Lakers. He will be the starting PG in his second year in the NBA but this year he will share time with Speedy Claxton, Tyrone Lue and Anthony Johnson. Atlanta, being Atlanta, will not play him enough, and that is why they are Atlanta. I'm predicting 6ppg and 3ass even though if they were smart they could get 10ppg and 6ass out of him.

12th Pick - Thaddeus Young, Sixers
NBADraft.net has his NBA Comparison Paul Pierce. That is an insult to Young's athleticism and an insult to Pierce's fundamentals. Young is a slasher. It should be exciting seeing the best ally-opp passer in Andre Miller (don't believe me, ask any of the Denver Nuggets) in the league throwing it up to AI2 and Thaddeus Young. Korver will get minutes and so will Rodney Carney who is on the verge of being a bust. I haven't seen him in the preseason but hopefully he is on his way to gaining 20 pounds and has worked on his ball handling skills. I see him playing more as the season goes on and averaging 9ppg in the last 20 games of the season but he will average 5ppg. That's pretty much all you can expect from someone who will not average 20 minutes a game.

13th Pick - Julian Wright, Hornets
This is a hard guy to evaluate. In college, he'd score 5 points in one game and you wouldn't even notice him on the court and the next game he'd drop 30/10/5 and you'd wonder why this guy is in college. New Orleans is a great fit for him. He is currently Peja right now and Mo Pete is starting at the 2 with Rasual Butler behind him. The Hornets are set at the wing position now and with David West, Tyson Chandler and Hilton Armstrong (everything I read about him is positive) in the post, this is a complete team because you know CP3 is legit. With that said, Julian Wright will play this year because of his ability to play 4 different (1-4) positions. He will find his spots and average 6.5ppg, 4.5rebs per game. Those numbers would increase with injuries though. He is going to be a star in this league. (Random: Watch out for the Hornets)

14th Pick - Al Thornton, Clippers
This guy is like 37 so is he actually a rookie? Half the Clippers team is down and they are the in contention for the most ping pong balls at the end of the year. During the second half of the year they will look to develop Thornton and his minutes will go up. With Brand and Livingston out for the year, his will chip in with 7.5ppg and 5rebs.

15th Pick - Rodney Stuckey, Pistons
Exactly what the Pistons need. They are lucky he went to Eastern Washington because if he was in the Pac-10 he would have been a top 10 pick. He will be the first guard off the bench and can play the 1 or 2. Major upgrade over Lindsay Hunter/Jarvis Hayes/Flip Murray. Look for his to contribute right away and flourish with 8ppg and 3ass.

16th Pick - Nick Young, Wizards
Also a perfect fit. The Wizards and especially Gilbert Arenas know DeSean Stevenson is a hot head and they need someone to ultimately replace him. Nick Young is an upgrade on both sides of the floor and will gel with Gilbert better. Antonio Daniels being the savy veteran that he is might get some minutes at the 2 also but I see Young both the 2 and the 3 in small lineups. Look for him to average 6.5ppg. Big things next year though.


17th Pick - Sean Williams, Nets
Besides Oden, Williams is the biggest freak of nature in this class. He has the ability to change games because of his defensive presence. Williams has the potential to make viewers say "he is a man among boys" in the NBA! BUT... yea BUT... he has some issues. Anytime someone has drug problems in college and they turn pro, I am hesitant about their first year in the league. If he did drugs with no money (compared to now), what is he going to do with a million dollars? I hope he stays out of trouble but either way, I don't see minutes for him in New Jersey so he is going to be a NBDL All-Star.

18th Pick - Marco Belinelli, Warriors
Another great fit for a guard in the middle of the first round. Belinelli means Run N' Gun in Italian. With the spacing and dribble penetration based offense the Warriors run, Belinelli will flourish. If you have never seen him, check out his YouTube. It's the top league in Europe so pretend he's doing this against North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, UCLA, Ohio St., Arizona, Florida, etc. He will average 7.5ppg because there are so many wings on the Warriors. Great pick.

19th Pick - Javaris Crittenton, Lakers
I think he's a better prospect than Jordan Farmar but since Farmar has a better feel for when to find his spots (after Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, and Lamar) and the triangle offense, I don't see him having to many opportunities to showcase his abilities. With the acquisition of Derek Fisher, he moves to the #3 PG. He'll see garbage time this year and average 2ppg.

20th Pick - Jason Smith, Sizers
White boy CAN jump. All I can think about is this guy would be great on the Suns. But he is on the Sixers. The Sixers have a lot of athletes on their team and they need to run more this year. Adding Young and Smith to a team with AI2 is kind of scary (watch out for Louis Williams this year). Smith will find his spots behind Reggie Evans and Samuel Dalembert this year and average 4ppg and 4rebs. There just won't be a lot of plays ran for this guy so he is going to have to run and crash boards to get points. But he is a nice prospect, a good fit for a team that likes to run. Is that the Sixers though? I don't know.