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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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| NBA | |
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Letting Off Steam By Ron Jumper With it being that time of year where nothing is happening but everything is about to happen, there is a sense of excitement and curiosity in the air. We are awaiting the last couple of home runs for Bonds to make history. We are about to get the NFL Pre-Season started this weekend. And most importantly, College Football is just around the corner. We also still have the whole Kobe trade demand situation, which we have no idea how that will play out. I mean there is just so much to talk about, I haven’t even ranted on the KG trade yet.  So for starters, let us review: Celtics get: PF Kevin Garnett Timberwolves get: PF Al Jefferson SG Gerald Green C Theo Ratliff SF Ryan Gomes PG Sebastian Telfair (2) 1st Round Picks I think both teams win in this deal, but not as much you would first like to think… For Boston, they still have work to do. They are very fortunate to still have their Mid-Level Exception. Without the MLE, they wouldn’t be able to fill the gaping holes in their roster at PG and C. Even then though, the best case scenario is getting Brevin Knight and Dikembe Mutumbo. Repeat, that is the best case scenario right now! Those are two veterans who would, in a normal situation, probably want closer to the entire MLE for themselves. Let’s say you get both of them for the MLE, you still have issues with your lineup. Knight and Mutumbo aren’t the most efficient offensive players and won’t keep the floor spread to prevent their men from crowding the KG-Pierce-Allen Trio. You need another role player who can shoot the basketball to spread the floor and make double or triple teaming any of the “trio” a deadly mistake. I think they still need a spark plug off the bench as well, you need a guy who can come in when the starters are having an off night and give the team a boost offensively. For Minnesota, they actually have a nice amount of young talent that they are very high on. However, I’m not high on any of them but Al Jefferson. Corey Brewer isn’t going to be the stud people think he will be, but just more of a rich man’s Bruce Bowen. Randy Foye isn’t tall enough or pure enough a shooter to be a star in this league. Rashard McCants is too soft on defense and limited to a spot up shooter on offense (this is hard to say because I loved him in college). Gerald Green has had this monster potential tag since he has been in the league, I’ll admit I was on the bandwagon but now I just need to see him turn the corner a little bit more then he has, as he seems to have hit a wall. That still doesn’t mean they couldn’t be good in the future, as you don’t need all of them to become studs anyway because it is so expensive when those rookie contracts expire. I just don’t have faith in them landing a big free agent with the new cap room available, as no one wants to go to Minnesota. “Sota” is cold, it is a small market, and now it has no big time players to play alongside. Most importantly, they still have GM Kevin McHale running the show and a no-name head coach in Randy Wittman. Tackling the Kobe situation, there really isn’t much to break down now. The only real possibilities are maybe Indiana or Chicago. Whether it is a package for Kobe or a package built around Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, any deal with the Pacers will involve Jermaine O’Neal. As for Chicago, they wouldn’t mind having Bynum or Lamar Odom. However, they just can’t bring themselves to give up Luol Deng or Ben Gordon yet. As for Kobe to Chicago, they could give up Noah, Gordon, and a 1st rounder in exchange. That would give the Lakers a nice young frontline and shooting guard to build around for the future, along with an additional draft pick. That probably wasn’t what the Lakers wanted to get in return for Kobe when they started this, but there isn’t a lot of interest right now with Zach Randolph, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett already traded this summer. With the NFL Pre-Season almost here, I had to rant about something that has been bothering me. With all the problems the NBA has (which is a growing list), I like the way they handle rookie contract situations. Instead of having to worry about holdouts and all the mischief agents cause when given the chance, they get their players into camp and a fresh start to their careers. With the NFL, what did you really expect to happen with rookies signing their contracts. You have a player who has never played a down wanting a ridiculous contract. On the other side, you have, say, a running back who is 22 and wants to get a good contract because running backs lose value sooner than any other position. If he signs a 5-year deal, when it ends at age 27 he only has really 3 years left to get paid big time money (30 is basically the cut-off point for running backs “primes”). All of that leads to holdouts galore. A holdout is more devastating in football than in baseball or basketball, as there is less to memorize. While adapting to any pro game is hard, it is nearly impossible to try to cram an entire NFL playbook into your brain when you don’t have the same amount of time as everyone else. I just think this hurts the game and makes those crazy contracts the rookies sign silly because they basically wasted his rookie year negotiating it in the first place. The Jamarcus Russel situation is getting ridiculous at this point, Russel wants more than the typical first pick gets and the Raiders are saying, “thanks, but no thanks.” New head coach Lane Kiffin has to be wondering what he got himself into. With College Football approaching, all I seem to hear about everywhere I go is the Heisman Trophy candidate Darren McFadden. He seems to be the far away favorite (as evidenced by his 59% of the vote on our homepage, with Brian Brohm coming in 2nd at only 9%), but does he have a legitimate chance at the Heisman? How often does the best player actually win the Heisman? It is always the best player on the best team that wins the Heisman, an award also typically reserved for quarterbacks. That being said, McFadden has the chance to put up sensational numbers if you look at their weak non-conference schedule. However if you recall, head coach Houston Nutt has been known to pull his stars out early when they play an inferior opponent (McFadden had just one carry in the SEMO game last season). As far as Arkansas competing on the national scale, I don’t see them winning more than 9 games and possibly only 7 or 8. The guys not being taken serious enough for the Heisman are QBs Brian Brohm, Pat White, Colt McCoy, Chad Henne, and John David Booty, as it almost certain one of them will make it to the national championship game and among the finalists for the Heisman. Not that I agree with the procees, but McFadden’s team may hold him back a little bit when it comes time for the media to vote. Well, I’ve gotten it all off my chest. For now, anyways... Expect our full breakdown of the NFL Pre-Season, the College Football Rankings, and a true season preview (not the biased, generic ones that we have been burdened with in the past) of the Arkansas Razorbacks football season. Don’t forget to check back with us all this month! August 4, 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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