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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Day Traders Should Listen To Some Jazz By Chase McCracken Trading in card collecting is a difficult thing to master. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has this trick down. Sure, you are always going to check eBay for the Kobe's and the AI's, but there is more than just a buck to be made on the Jazz this year. There is no question that the Jazz are playing different instruments this year: String music. Deron Williams, who was the 3rd Pick overall in 2005, has made a solid contribution to this year's team. He currently ranks 2nd in the NBA in assists per game (9.2 a.p.g. behind the hallowed Nash at 11.7 a.p.g), and could end up being one of the league's best. The Jazz should be thankful for a smart guard that can shoot the trey and dish the rock.  Who could discount Carlos Boozer?. Since Christian Laettner left Duke for the league, there has been a consensus that Blue Devils suck it up when they get to the big stage. At this point, all but one pretty much have: Carlos Boozer (Excluding Grant Hill of course, who has been healthy something like 6 games in his career). While his RC's aren't really priced great at this point, he plays transition defense and man to man very well. Oh yeah, and he ranks 4th in the NBA in rebounds per contest (12.1 r.p.g. to go along with 22.6 p.p.g). If you had to say that one player was helping team chemistry a lot, it would be tough to argue with Carlos Boozer. Also, look hard at Mehmet Okur. Here is a guy that upon first site looks like your typical oversized goober that somehow landed his game in the U. S. However, as many other European players have demonstrated, you don't have to be the right size to be a pure shooter. Nowi...Ścough cough. Nowitzki...cough cough. You get my drift? Need I say more? The explosion of fundamentally sound basketball players has, in my opinion, saved the NBA from the depths of boredom. Don't get me wrong; I like to see dunks too. But what is a one-trick pony worth in the end? I don't have a number handy, but not much. Okur, Kirilenko, Williams, and Carlos Boozer are tearing it up, gang. Cards to avoid: Despite his popularity, Andrei Kirilenko trading has already gotten a tad bit too pricy. Your best hope in profit on Andrei is to wait for one of two things: 1) A trade that lands him at a scoring machine (Phx, Mia, etc.), or 2) An injury that puts him out for the beginning of the year. Otherwise, the dollar has probably already been made. Also, you probably want to avoid Topps Chrome RC's past 2001 unless they have excellent grades (9.5 on up). Topps Chrome RC's have lost value at a steady rate, as they seem to be the forgotten brand in the new age of jerseys and autographs on every card. Cards to look for: Carlos Boozer 02-03 SPx RC ( #d/1000 of course, if you can snag the spectrum patch RC #d/25, then you're doing even better), Carlos Boozer 02-03 SP Authentic Auto RC #d/1500. Deron Williams 05-06 UD Sweet Shot auto rc #d. ************ Tim Duncan: A Tribute to Fundamental Basketball: Rarely do you consider the future of a team's franchise to ride on one pick in one day of one draft. However, when the Boston Celtics were the front runners in April of 1997, it was difficult to imagine a situation where Tim Duncan would not wear the cloverleaf. San Antonio subsequently gained this pick via the lottery, and it was no big surprise who they took. It didn't take long for the Spurs to turn their mediocrity around as they built around one of the best all around inside games in the NBA. Tim Duncan has 3 things working in his favor: the ole' 15 footer, a long 7'0" frame, and last but certainly not least, a brilliant basketball mind. If you do the research, Tim Duncan does an astounding job of drawing the foul inside. That's just half of the job though: Duncan has made two-thirds of the foul shots in his career (20.7 ppg, 68.2% from the foul line; 5.1/7.5 per game). As we have seen with the many European players, NBA fans are returning to the basics of appreciating basketball. How can you hate the guy that works harder in the gym on getting the job done right? Duncan has to be up there. When you consider collecting trends, it would be wise to stick with guys like Tim Duncan who have already reserved their place in the hall. Duncan's cards are not soaring at the moment (believe me, they have on plenty of occasions), but they are sure to in the very near future. The window of opportunity, as we all know, does not remain open forever. Cards to look for: 97-98 Topps Chrome RC in BGS 9 or better, 97-98 Topps Mystery Finest Refractor in BGS 9 or better (very rare; according to Beckett, less than 20 are graded in circulation), 00-01 Stadium Club Co-Signers Tim Duncan-David Robinson. Card to avoid: 97-98 SPx RC- I feel that before I tell anybody to avoid a SPx RC, I should clarify that these cards have been known (primarily with the early SPx sets) to have easily crumbling corners and edges. Also, the surface is nearly impossible to keep in mint condition because it is such a reflective holographic image. In order to get a valuable BGS graded RC in this set, you will have to pay an inflated price. Good card, bad price!!!  January 28, 2007 |
| NCAA Football | |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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