On the Hardwood with Pros and Students

Today I will write about professional and college basketball, I will do this relatively short because my last few blogs have chained you to your seat for longer than you want. I get it, but, I will now make it shorter, but with more/better content. So, it’s kind of like juice. In the past, I had a bunch of water (length of the blog) and a good amount of juice (content), so, now I’ll cut down on the water but give you hopefully the same amount of juice.

Before we start, I want to give you guys and gals a fun activity for any sport. Whatever sport you enjoy the most, you can do this with. Ok, so, you type in “random (insert sport here, like, NBA, NFL, MLB) player generator” into your search bar, then, you find a website you’re comfortable with (doesn’t matter which) and then type in how many players you want the website to generate. Side note: if you’re using https://www.2kblacktoprandomizer.com/, press 1V1, All Players, and you can deselect “current players” for a harder challenge or keep “current players”. Then, open the website Basketball Reference, then choose one of your players and type him into the Basketball-Reference search bar. Now, here comes the fun part, go through the website and try to get from that player to the second player without typing in the second player’s name, going through family relationships, or the draft. Aaaaand, Go!

Schedule: We got the NBA random generator and here we go again. I’m going to generate 3 teams, no Knicks. Then, give the rundown. For more, go to last week’s blog, if you want more, hunt down the first blog of this series. Then, I’ll talk about March Madness, and then NFL Free Agency. I’m trying to make my blog new and interesting every week, so, if you have any, give me some ideas, please. Direct Message my father or something, if not, I’ll keep cooking up new ideas.

I rolled Dallas Mavericks first, Charlotte Hornets second, Sacramento Kings third.

Dallas Mavericks: This team is definitely a dark horse to win the Finals or to be a first-round exit. This team is a skyscraper built on a 6-inch slab (usually made to support suburb houses). It is top-heavy, with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis and they have a steeper drop-off on their roster than the Lakers had last year (LeBron James and Anthony Davis being the top two, and Javale McGee is arguably the third-best player on that team). Analysts talk about high-percentage shots, well, whenever the ball is in Luka’s hands, it’s a high percentage shot waiting to happen, whether he’s taking it or not. This team also has a lot of shooters on relatively bad contracts. Someone like James Johnson and Tim Hardaway should not be getting paid around $34 million. The bench is good, led by Trey Burke and Jalen Brunson, keeping Josh Richardson in the starting lineup was a great move by Rick Carlisle. This team is great, but has soooo much more potential if they play their cards correctly, I guess you can say that for every team, but the Mavs have tremendous upside on this team. This is what I would do: trade James Johnson and Josh Richardson for a more economically friendly contract and a pick. Start Jalen Brunson to develop him and develop Dorian Finney-Smith as well. Keep Maxi Kleber but put him on the bench as the 7^th man. Get rid of Tim Hardaway Jr. to have about 25 or so million left in spending cash, and then cash in on free agency.

Charlotte Hornets: This squad is the beginnings of a great team. This team is very young, with Gordon Hayward being the oldest in the starting lineup. The backcourt is amazing, Lamelo Ball and Terry Rozier, who is still very young, 26 years old.  Gordon Hayward is a great secondary playmaker on this team and the frontcourt is young and really good. This is what I would do: Trade for Lamelo’s brother, Lonzo at the deadline. keep Hayward, extend him until he retires. Trade Cody Zeller for a young player and a draft pick and start either Bismack Biyombo or Vernon Carey Jr. Then, have a good draft, and fill in any holes on really good contracts in free agency. In about a year or so, move Hayward to the sixth man and trade Rozier for a young and progressing SF. This team has tremendous upside, more than the Mavs, and should be making the playoffs shortly because of the age of this roster.

Sacramento Kings: The Kings are in an interesting situation, they have an extremely young roster and they have a special occurrence – they don’t have to wait for talent, they have that talent. They’re a little rough around the edges and a lot of cap space to move around which they can/could’ve done on today's (or Thursday's) deadline. I’m looking at Buddy Hield, I think he’s regressing, he’s still a knock-down shooter for D’Aaron Fox to kick out to and Tyrese Haliburton to learn how to kick out. MB3 (Marvin Bagley III, one of the coolest nicknames in my opinion) is a really good option for them as well. Delon Wright is the sparkplug for the second unit, they could work through him when the bench is in, and with them being among the bottom of the Western Conference, and probably getting a lottery pick, they could get another bench player or anyone else. Richaun Holmes Harrison Barnes and MB3 are still really young and really good for them as bigs AND with the block king of the past few years, Hassan Whiteside on the bench, they have a superior frontcourt. What I would do right now: Get rid of Buddy Hield, slide Harrison Barnes to the 3. Also, pickup a backup 4. As I’m writing this, the Kings just picked up Terrence Davis, perfect! Davis can go to the 3, Bagley back to the 4, Barnes to the backup 3 or 4. I’m adamant about trading Buddy Hield because his play and his contract don’t equal each other. So, as I’m writing this, the Kings just got younger, and they’re thinking only about the future, wonderful stuff, Kings!

 

March Madness: I created a formula for this year, yeah, I did, and I was so confident in it and then I was thinking about the fame I would get if I got all 63 games right. Then, after the first two games guess what my record was – 0-2. One thing I SEVERELY overlooked was the schedule. I had Colgate in the Sweet Sixteen. Ok, you have 4.7 seconds to laugh. Ok, now that you’re back, I overlooked it, a lot. Also, my formula was based on greater than/less than numbers. Not so great, I realized. It takes way too long, and now that my formula got less than 40% of the games correct, maybe those two social studies, three LA, and math periods would’ve been helpful in 20 years, probable: no, possible: yes. Ohio beat Virginia, and literally one reason why – Virginia has a very small point guard, and with Jason Preston, an inside-out playmaker at 6’4” who can lead his whole team in rebounding. He’s not slow either, he’s blazing fast as well and can shoot. Even though they hit a roadblock in Creighton in round two, Jason Preston is an NBA-ready player, probably mid-second rounder, late first at best. Gonzaga is the most well-oiled unit in the tourney, they run a nine-man rotation I think, which means that one starter is on the floor at all times, and all the starters are capable of leading the offense. I had Winthrop beating Villanova because 1) everyone said so, 2) the stats aligned in Winthrop’s favor but, the powerhouse ‘Nova wins, I guess rule number one is all powerhouses win unless they’re 13 or below seeds. Then, the Purdue Boilermakers lost? Purdue, this is the powerhouse, the four seed, that one, right? And you lost to not Texas, not Texas Tech, but NORTH TEXAS? Also, Colgate, who I thought would beat Arkansas, painfully lost. If you’re the underdog – a run like Arkansas had at the end of the first half is like someone blindfolding you and forcing you to run the Boston Marathon.

OHIO STATE LOST TO A DENTAL FIRM, A DENTAL FIRM, AND THEN THEY BEAT FLORIDA.

The more surprising one is Ohio State, they were in most Final Fours across March Madness brackets. Not much that I could say, except their point guard? Max Abmas? He should not be studying dentistry; he should have a full ride to Gonzaga to be their starting point guard. He has a smooth jump shot and will pull up from anywhere. They may very well beat Arkansas, unlikely, but possible. Sister Jean stays undefeated, first Sister Jean and some guys dressed in maroon jerseys with the letters L, O, Y, O, L, A, C, H, I, C, A, G, O on their jersey, beat Georgia Tech, and then they wipe out the number one seed, Illinois, the widely regarded favorites to win the whole thing. My pick? They wipe out the Oregon St. Beavers and move onto the Elite 8. The best player in the country Cade Cunningham and his team beat Liberty in the first round, and then they crash and burn against the Oregon St. Beavers. This is a wild thought to think about, Cunningham’s next formal/official game (not Uncle Jeremiah’s driveway cookout) will be in an NBA jersey. Syracuse won their game against long-time powerhouse San Diego State, Buddy Boeheim is an amazing scorer, this guy has shades of Klay Thompson in him. Theoretically, pair him with a Steph Curry and Syracuse has the fuel to go to the Final Four, I’d say Elite Eight as of now. Houston is a great school, and probably will beat Syracuse in the Sweet Sixteen (I hope not, though), but it will be an extremely close game and the final score will be worth the price of admission all by itself. 

My Sweet Sixteen picks:

Gonzaga vs. Creighton: Zags

USC vs. Oregon: USC

Michigan vs. FSU: FSU

UCLA vs. Alabama: Bama

Baylor vs. Villanova: Baylor

Arkansas vs. Oral Roberts: Nice run, ORU, but Arkansas is taking this

Loyola Chicago vs. Oregon St.: Loyola Chicago

Syracuse vs. Houston: Syracuse

Elite Eight:

Gonzaga vs. USC: Zags

FSU vs. Alabama: FSU

Baylor vs. Arkansas: Baylor

Loyola Chicago vs. Syracuse: Loyola Chicago, are you surprised? I’m not.

Final Four:

Gonzaga vs. FSU: Gonzaga

Baylor vs. Loyola Chicago: Baylor

National Championship

Gonzaga vs. Baylor: Gonzaga by a score 81-77

Let’s Examine these Five NBA Teams

Well, back to basketball. We did this a few posts ago, but here it goes again. I don’t know the reaction that most of you had to it, but I had heaps of fun. I will randomly generate five teams, plus the Knicks. I will then give you an overview of their team, and I’m feeling like there’ll be a whole lot of totally unnecessary blaming and name-calling today. I’m using https://wordwall.net/resource/680216/nba-teams for this, if you’re curious.

All teams will be different from the last similar post, because then why would you read this? First wheel spin: Miami Heat. Second: Cleveland Cavaliers. Third: Chicago Bulls. Fourth: Phoenix Suns. Fifth: Golden State Warriors.

Miami Heat: The Heat is a team that is a suitor for a BUNCH of trade bait near this trade deadline. To name a few: Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, and Bradley Beal. Realistic targets? Kyle Lowry, Drummond, and LaVine, in the order of probability. Kendrick Nunn is definitely going to be a role player for the Heat this year, Bam Adebayo is Robin to Jimmy Butler being Batman, so even though he’s a pure scorer, he’s not the Robin, averaging 14 PPG and under 3 for everything else, on about 11 or so shots per game. Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are both also role players, but while Jimmy Butler drives, those two are waiting with bated breath for a kick-out from Jimmy. Jimmy Butler is the first scoring option for the Heat, he’s getting the most shots, he’s getting the most everything when the team resets, the ball goes to Butler, if not? That poor and unsuspecting player gets “wet towel whipped” in the locker room (use your imagination for that one). Kelly Olynyk and Goran Dragic, why did I pair these players together? Because they’re both trade bait, probably to get Kyle Lowry, both are good players for their position, but both not starters. Bam Adebayo, you could argue that he’s not the Robin to Butler’s Batman, because the Heat’ll try to haul in that Robin, but no, Butler wouldn’t be an All-Star because Bam wasn’t, and Butler was chosen, that’s a Batman and Robin relationship. What I think they should do, trade Olynyk and Dragic for Kyle Lowry and sign LaMarcus Aldridge, because they decided to “mutually part ways” but that’s like a breakup, no one really knows who pulled the plug.

Cleveland Cavaliers: This team has amazing young talent with great potential. What I see for this team at the deadline is to get younger and have an extremely small salary. Yes, I’m looking at Kevin Love, I know Love is irreplaceable, but trading him comes down to the people sitting in the comically large chairs, 3 floors above the hardwood. Bleacher Report says the Portland Trail Blazers is a suitor for Love, in CJ McCollum’s absence, they need some shooting and to get some extra scoring. Some players the Cavs can target from the Blazers are Nassir Little, Gary Trent Jr., or Harry Giles III, but whatever combination of these players they decide to take, they need a draft pick out of it. They would have Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, the backcourt of the future for the Cavs, they drafted well in 2018 and 2019 to get these two guards, 2020, they also got their wing of the future, Isaac Okoro, and their center of the future, unless they trade him, Jarrett Allen. ALL OF THESE PLAYERS ARE 22 OR UNDER. Their bench, Dylan Windler (24), Cedi Osman (25), and Larry Nance (28), is a bench any team could ask for. They don’t have a star, so they’re all sharing the love, especially between the backcourt. All these players need now is good coaching and a good offseason. The Cavs are only four games out of the last place in the East and only 6 out of the last place in the NBA. That’s three bad weeks for them and they could potentially have a 1-5 pick. If they get 1 or 2, they could trade to 3, 4 or 5, to get Evan Mobley at the 5, or, if Mobley goes down to 2, take Mobley. There’s also Jonathan Kuminga. This team is in a great position. I don’t think they need to make a trade at the deadline, but, Kevin Love getting moved is a nice idea.

Chicago Bulls: This team is going rebuild mode, Zach LaVine is one of the most thrown around names in the NBA trade deadline rumors. If they trade him, they need a lot of young talent for him. Coby White has tremendous upside but is very hit-or-miss. Patrick Williams is a very interesting player, I’m all for Williams, I want to see him get a bunch of minutes. Their front-court, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr. are the frontcourt of the future for them, or both of them are out in the next two years if they’re really going full rebuild mode. Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young are two forwards that the coach can lie back and relax when they’re on the floor because he’s going to be extremely consistent up and down the floor, if they’re not scoring, then they’ll defend and rebound. If they trade LaVine, it’ll be the best thing they can do, because then that will plummet their performance this year, while scooping up more talent, and, if they finish low enough, they could get Jalen Suggs or Green, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga or, if they’re REALLY lucky, Cade Cunningham or Evan Mobley.

Phoenix Suns: This team is so wildly amazing, with the Lakers breathing down their neck, 0.5 games back of the second seed. This might sound crazy, but, Bleacher Report, who, in my opinion, is the most down-to-earth sports news source out there, say the Suns should get Lauri Markkanen, granted they also say they should get Joel Embiid, the MVP favorite, this is insane, the only way Philly would think of the offer would be to include Devin Booker, but the Suns won’t want to give Book. The Markkanen move, though, there’s something there, because right now, Frank Kaminsky starting will most definitely not cut it. If the Bulls trade both LaVine and Lauri, then they’re most definitely sitting pretty in the top 5 in the draft. Chris Paul, the initiator of the “dish and swish” on every team he’s on, is irreplaceable, he might even stay next year, unless, the Suns took him on for one reason, to propel them to the playoffs. Devin Booker is irreplaceable for real now, he can do everything, now, with the strengthening of the left hand, he can score and pass with the left as well, which unlocks so many more doors for him. Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton are both players who would be second or even first scoring options on any other team, on this team, they’re three and four, and that’s why they’re the second seed, the immense depth. Their bench needs work, but once Cameron Johnson, the potentially great forward comes back, then the Suns and Suns’ fans can sleep a little better.

Golden State Warriors: If Stephen Curry leads the Klay Thompson-less, KD-less, regressing Draymond Green to the playoffs as a 7^th seed or higher, Joel Embiid and him should be head to head in the MVP race. He’s leading a young team to a 19-19 record, these inexperienced players are being carried by Curry. Kelly Oubre Jr. is not amazing at anything, but he’s also not bad at anything, Andrew Wiggins is being overshadowed by Curry and he doesn’t really belong on this team. The Warriors need some knock-down shooters, kind of like, just kind of like, the Heat, when Jimmy’s locked up, he has Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson. Same thing here and whoever that shooter is, he could be his partner in crime. Once Klay comes back, and they have a good offseason, and a good shooter and James Wiseman progresses, this is looking good.

New York Knicks: The Knicks have a roster that’s around 20-25^th in talent, but guess what, we’re above .500. Tom Thibodeau has done magical things with this roster, putting Reggie Bullock in the starting lineup, but harnessing Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley to the bench. Even though Elfrid Payton’s starting is infuriating all Knicks fans, the leader of the court isn’t doing that bad. RJ Barrett and Julius Randle are leading the Knicks on the court, almost all possessions where Randle or Barrett are on the court, the ball touches their hands, and that’s how I want it. I love our centers, Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel, they have huge bodies that get every rebound, set amazing screens, and contest all shots. Frank Ntilikina, playfully called “French Jesus” by Knicks’ fans, is starting for the Knicks in Payton and Rose’s absence, and he’s doing good. Alec Burks, Obi Toppin, and Taj Gibson are all role players for now, but I hope that at least Burks and Toppin, but Toppin at the least, sprout into stars. The Knicks can do so much at the deadline, even if they don’t make the playoffs, they are poised for a huge offseason. Leon Rose can do so much in the offseason. We can sign a free agent, make a trade right now, virtually anything we want. We have a couple of first-round picks, so we can trade up, a lot. I would love a John Collins, or a Michael Porter Jr., or an Andre Drummond. This would definitely propel us toward the playoffs and in my opinion, the younger the player, the heaps and heaps and heaps better. 

Surprisingly, all of these teams have a bright future. I’ll keep you posted.

Spring 2021 Baseball Season and the Mets

Spring Training kicked off this week, and even though I am in school online, I still stream games, yes, I am a very conscientious student, if you’re wondering but baseball is baseball. I never told this to anybody, but because you are reading this blog, I will share something with you. If you go to http://www.volokit.com/schedule/, you can stream any sports event. Yes! Any sports event, no signup, and everything’s 100% free, no, I didn’t just get money for telling you that, I don’t know anyone at Volokit and no one’s paying me if you still don’t believe it – don’t believe it! Think that you’re reading a very established blog writer’s blog who has many connections and finished second in his Harvard journalism class, and it’ll make your reading more enjoyable.

In the first Mets game of the season, some things struck me: 1)Brandon Nimmo is in for a big year, and will hopefully bat <.290. 2) Francisco Lindor is a bust, the worst signing in Mets history (for those of you who didn’t take a baseball bat and smashed your computer to bits and pieces with that last comment, heaps of sarcasm in that). 3) Hopefully Pete Alonso can rebound this season, even though he was 3^rd in homers in the NL last year, I still want to see him hit 30 and this will complement Michael Conforto and Francisco Lindor in the lineup. 4) Kevin Pillar is set to have a season with about 10 homers and a solid starting role, move Albert Almora. 5) I have mixed feelings about our bullpen. Who’s gonna be closer? Who’s the 5/6^th inning man? Who’s the mop-up man? Can we have an elite set up man? Can Edwin Diaz get off LSD? Can we find a closer who’s drug-free? All of these questions will be answered, but only once we hit Opening Day can we decide, because then our pitchers are set and we can answer these questions.

Next two games: 1) I’m excited to see Jeff McNeil this year, I want to see him leadoff, and then the other potential candidates to lead off can round out the lineup near the bottom. 2) Number one prospect Ronny Mauricio isn’t MLB ready, yet, but hey, we’re not that thirsty for prospects. 3) I know I said Albert Almora Jr. isn’t going to start at center, but hey, if Kevin Pillar plays like dog poop in July, then Almora’s easily sliding in there. 4) The Mets rotation is first or second in baseball, Dodgers, Padres or Mets at 1 or 2, but Mets at 1 or 2. 5) I want to see Luis Guillorme in the starting lineup, somehow, some way, I want to see him starting, I don’t know how, but hey, do I get paid Luis Rojas’ salary to figure that out? No. 6) We should experiment with Mallex Smith in the infield because the outfield is as crowded as a middle school hallway, Smith is fast and versatile, so let him get some reps in the infield.

Next games: 1) I love Pete Alonso. But, a grand slam doesn’t mean anything, even if he hit one, anything could still happen in the early season. 2) Even though David Peterson will probably start the season off in the minors, he’s going to come up this season, as a mop-up man or as a genuine starter. 3) Dominic Smith percolated last year, and being one of the most consistent hitters on the team, he’s gonna explode this year. 4) James McCann is not going to just hit, and he’s also not going to just scoop bad pitches. I’ve heard both sides of the spectrum, and I think he’s going to do both, he’s not called “McCannon” for nothing, and he’s playing really well. 5) I think the Mets should prune the outfield and the team in general. We have so many redundant players and other teams are fish in the Sahara Desert for players. Scoop up some prospects, free up cap space, get a veteran, get someone if JD Davis swings and misses at this upcoming season (smooth, right?). 6) Edwin Diaz may have played well against the Astros, but don’t let it fool you, don’t let it don’t, don’t. Diaz hopefully won’t screw up, but hey, it’s Edwin Diaz. 7) Sadly, there isn’t a sixth man in baseball, like there is in basketball, he’s the best player on the bench, but he’s on the bench. Jonathan Villar would fill that role really well, but right now, I can’t see a role for Villar on the team. You would think there’s a point to this statement, but there isn’t, just expressing what I’m saying. 8) Finally, I have a little faith in the Mets’ bullpen, Aaron Loup, Trevor Hildenberger, and Daniel Zamora all help that theory, and I hope that while Spring Training continues, Luis Rojas’ bullpen IQ increases, his faith in the bullpen increases and the pitcher get into their groove. 

Wipe the mustard off your faces while I watch some games.

Spring Training Begins; Pt. 2: NL; Season Opener April 1

Atlanta Braves: This team is scary when everyone except Atlanta Braves fans knew that Freddie Freeman was really good, but he wasn’t at MVP level, last year, he won the MVP. They got Marcell Ozuna back, Charlie Morton – I think it will be really interesting to see how he does, Abraham Almonte, who may not get a starting role, and Jake Lamb, just to add an immense amount of offense. This team is such a fundamentally sound team that there aren’t any needs, which amounts to any people they lost in the offseason isn’t too big. I think they’re still going to be a really good team, but Wild Card, around mid to low 80 wins though.

Miami Marlins: The fans of this team are on edge, they made the playoffs but they’re like the Knicks this year, they don’t have a really good player, but they played/playing really well, so it’s all very shaky. They got Adam Duvall, a solid bat, but he’s past his prime, and they focused on their bullpen this year, which, if you look at playoff teams, there’s one common denominator, a good bullpen. They got Anthony Bass, Adam Cimber, and John Curtiss and they’re all scarily good. But, what’s the most “Marlins” thing they did this year? Let go of a lot of bullpen pitchers, so that didn’t work out too well, Ryne Stanek, Jose Urena and Nick Vincent, and more, so, if there could be another move during the season, then that’s a really good move to propel them towards the playoffs. I think they’ll be 5^th in their division without the move, with the move, 3^rd, or 4^th, and that’s a whole lot of difference.  I think they’ll win 70 games.

Philadelphia Phillies: This is a roster with talent, a lot of untapped potential, but with those players not breaking out, and then this team is going to be hovering around 3 or 4 in their division, and maybe even embark on a slow decline. They resigned JT Realmuto and Didi Gregorious, who they needed to resign, they got Archie Bradley, who I’ve always been a fan of, just his consistency was great and Chase Anderson, as a hybrid pitcher. And they only lost David Phelps and Jake Arrieta, both players that aren’t amazing and they didn’t need them. I am such a fan of this roster and the only hole I can find in this roster is a third outfielder. I think they’ll be 3^rd or 4^th, the reason I put three teams at 3^rd or 4^th is because this division is so volatile and so good.

New York Mets: Now, finally, the Mets made that move, yes, that one, the one we’ve all been waiting for, and now, they need to capitalize on this, don’t just raise Mets fans’ expectations, but actually raise them for a reason. Steve Cohen, the new owner, and Sandy Alderson back with the Amazins, they went crazy in the offseason, and Mets fans couldn't ask for a better one. With Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann, Trevor May, Joey Lucchesi, Taijuan Walker, Albert Almora Jr., and Jonathan Villar all added to the roster, the Mets can now put the pedal to the metal and establish themselves early. Let me tell you a little about that, in Fantasy Basketball, if I don’t get a good start, I lost 9 times out of 10. We lost our two best middle infield prospects, Amed Rosario and Andres Giminez, Michael Wacha and Wilson Ramos, if you don’t say we didn’t get better, then get glasses. I think we’re first in our division by at least 8 games.

Washington Nationals: This roster is very young, but it lost talent, if you look at it, this team has potential, seen, and untapped. They got Brad Hand, a great arm out of the bullpen, Josh Bell, who needs to pop off this year, or else, some bad psyche will set in and he’ll turn into Eric Thames, no offense to Eric Thames. They also got a big, inconsistent, powerful bat in Kyle Scwarber and Jon Lester, to probably finish off his career in Washington, but he’s still good, though. They lost Sean Dolittle, but don’t fret, that’s Hand’s role on the team, Adam Eaton, Kurt Suzuki, and Eric Thames were all older and they all left the team. This offseason is amazing. But, if this team doesn’t bring at least one more hitter on this team, that has some power, then this team can flirt with the playoffs. But right now, I see this team around 3^rd, 4^th or 5^th. These five teams make up the hardest division in the MLB, no question.

Chicago Cubs: This team is amazing, I know they might see that they might be on a decline, but no, no, no, do not rebuild, don’t trade Kris Bryant, he’s literally one of the best third basemen in the league, and, unless it involves mostly prospects, and a benchwarmer in the MLB, then I’ll take it, but we like JD Davis, he’s coming into his own and we’ll keep the prospects. Their team didn’t haul in too many players, supporting the “don’t rebuild” strategy, but they did lose some players, like Kyle Schwarber, a big bat, Albert Almora Jr., a great fielder and just a guy that you don’t appreciate him until he’s gone and Jose Martinez, who’s a great all-around player. This team will be second in their division because they lost more players than they got. Around 80 wins for them, second or first in their division.

St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals finally took that step, the one that made them good finally, but a few moves are needed. They got Nolan Arenado, a guy who has good speed, and will supply you with 35 homers and a player to take your mind off third base, because he’ll sweep up everything. They lost Kolten Wong and John Brebbia, a win in the offseason for them. They got better, but they need defense, not pitching, but good fielders, pitching wouldn’t be too bad either. I think they’ll be 1^st, 3^rd or 4^th in their division; they’ll either flop or be great.

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds are a team that’s young, but no one really knows what they’re going to do, except Baseball America. But, they’re not all young, they have some aging players, for the young players, and everyone on the team can perform. They got Jeff Hoffman, who’s not too great as a reliever, Sean Doolittle, who can’t falter, and Noe Ramirez, who’s average-ish. They lost Trevor Bauer, Raisel Iglesias, Anthony Desclafani, and Archie Bradley, they lost the core of their general pitching, they had a horrible offseason, not improving on any position, just filling in positions. They’re getting fourth or fifth in the division.

Milwaukee Brewers: This team is really good, but again, they’re in a really good division, so they can’t show themselves. Something that strikes me immediately is the infielders, they need to get some more infielders now, like a go-to guy, someone who’s really good. The Brewers received Kolten Wong, and a bunch of others, like Luke Maile, a catcher, who’s never really been good, but they’re expecting a 7 HR season, 58 RBIs, and a .240/.250 average, they’re not expecting anything big from their players, except their bullpen, Christian Yelich, and Keston Hiura. Those are the only players that are really good and expected to be good on this team. I don’t like it, I like players, young or old, that are all expected to produce (no need to be a dynasty, like the Dodgers, but just 15 HRs and 80 RBIs are good). They lost Alex Claudio and Corey Knebel, both good relievers. This team is getting either 4^th in their division or 3^rd.

Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates kicked off their rebuild, and so far, it’s going great, they got rid of the good players, and are bringing up the young. They don’t have a strong rotation and they don’t have really good hitters. They got Tyler Anderson as a back-end (or front end with how bad the rotation is) rotation guy. That’s it. Not eventful, but definitely rebuild-ish. They lost Chris Archer, Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon, and Derek Holland. Nice rebuild, but don’t overdo it, your 17 total fans are going to be slowly declining because of how bad your team is going to be this year. I predict last in their division, by a landslide.

Los Angeles Dodgers: The best team in baseball just got better. Wild. Their main concern is deciding who plays second base, not if anyone’s going to hit 20 HRs, nope, who’s going to play second. The Dodgers can’t get much better. They got Trevor Bauer, Blake Treinen, and Corey Knebel, this team is going to be amazing. Now, they could decide whether to make Knebel the closer, Treinen the closer, or stick with the shaky Jensen. They lost Joc Pederson, Kike Hernandez, and Pedro Baez, the Dodgers’ roster is so good, it doesn’t matter, let them lose Pederson, let them lose Kike, they’ll still be amazing. I predict top of their division at about 100 wins.

San Diego Padres: Yes, yes, Fernando Tatis Jr. is amazing, he’s really good. He deserves the contract… in three years. Let him get settled, let the Padres get settled with Tatis. During the offseason, they got Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Jurickson Profar. This rotation just got a lot better, sadly, they don’t have Joey Lucchesi. They lost Kirby Yates, a huge hit to their bullpen, and two of their best prospects, Francisco Mejia and Luis Patino. That’s not all, also, Jason Castro, Zach Davies, Luis Perdomo, Trevor Rosenthal and Mitch Moreland. This Padres team rebuilt so perfectly, but they need a second baseman and center fielder. Then this team has a 90% chance to beat out the Dodgers for the division. Right now, they’re second in their division, at around 90 wins in my opinion.

San Francisco Giants: This is a team that has no future what so ever, their minor leagues are bad and their team right now is bad. They got Tommy La Stella (fun fact: he actually went to my middle school), Alex Wood, and a bunch of other bullpen players that aren’t going to have a big role on the team, what scares me is that the guy upstairs (no, not God, a little lower, and in the stadium) isn’t even trying to make this team better. They lost Tyler Anderson, Drew Smyly, Justin Smoak, and Shaun Anderson. Wow, nice job, guys, last in your division.

Colorado Rockies: This team is again, debating within themselves whether to rebuild to push towards the playoffs. They got Austin Gomber and Robert Stephenson, not too flashy, not too great. They lost Nolan Arenado, Daniel Murphy (retired) and David Dahl, you can’t make this stuff up. Yeah, they’re going full rebuild mode now, fourth in their division, because the Giants take “being bad” to a different level.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Now this is a team with an interesting roster, but I just bad management has taken over this team. They got Asdrubal Cabrera, Joakim Soria, and Tyler Clippard, nothing too great, just old players to fill in some positions. Same with the losses, not that bad, only Junio Guerra (who was extremely shaky), Mike Leake, whose career is over after this year, and Hector Rondon, who they should’ve kept, that guy’s good. I think they’ll be third in their division, high 70 wins. 

As they're saying at every baseball diamond: Play ball!

Spring Training Tomorrow; Season Opener April 1

Yes, Spring Training starts tomorrow. In another time I would be playing Little League, except that about a 15 or so months ago, someone in China decided to eat a bat. You know the rest, unless, of course, you experienced a Jumanji-type thing where you were stuck in the past for a while, perfectly understandable, perfectly understandable.

But yes, after an offseason that skyrocketed the Mets straight through the roof, we’re finally here. I will be going over each team and their expectation and, of course, I will throw in this abused, over used phrase: there’s always next year.

And no, you won’t have to split this blog up over your lifetime because it won’t be that long. I will try to shorten it to about 2 or 3, but 4 max sentences about each team, I’m already at 139 words so I’ll shut up and write about baseball.

Tampa Bay Rays: Search up Wendy’s roasts Tampa Bay Rays, sounds weird, right? Just do it. They got Rich Hill, an aging pitcher, Chris Archer, another pitcher that reached his peak, but here comes the good stuff, to add to their already stupid good roster, they got Luis Patino, the #19 overall MLB prospect and Francisco Mejia, both from the Padres, both one of the cornerstones of the future of the Padres. Cy Young winner Blake Snell packs his bags, along with Charlie Morton (a player who ages like fine wine) and Hunter Renfroe. They lose Jose Alvarado and Nate Lowe, both players that decorate their roster, not too big. Still in the bottom sixth of the league in salary, with scrappy, young players, I don’t expect them to get to the playoffs, much less the World Series, it would be a miracle if they win over 90 games, hey, a run like last year’s only happens once in a team’s lifetime. (short, eh?)

New York Yankees: The Yankees are starting to look like the 2016-17 Warriors, just building a superteam, brick by brick, $15 million contract by $15 million contract, and more, of course. The Yankees got major upgrades, bringing back DJ Lemahieu, ranked wayyyy too high on mlb.com’s top 100 players of the MLB season, Corey Kluber, they went to Vegas on this one, he’s older and he’s very injury prone (but that fits the Yanks, right?), and Jameson Taillon, to bolster their rotation. The Yankees really screwed up with their departures, Masahiro Tanaka went to Japan, J.A. Happ didn’t like New York, and goes up to Minnesota, Luis Avilan, Tommy Kahnle, and Adam Ottavino all leave New York as well, some of their best relievers leave. Second basketball comparison in a row (I’m on a roll), the Yanks are like the Spurs, they’re always gonna make the playoffs, so yeah, they’re gonna get to the playoffs, they’ll win around 90-100 games.

Toronto Blue Jays: This team’s trying to make a run for the playoffs, and anyone who doesn’t think this team is interesting is not a baseball fan. They got George Springer (an offensive sparkplug to an already great offense), Steven Matz, who they shouldn’t expect anything out of, Kirby Yates, just bullpen help at this point. Also, Marcus Semien, which is an interesting acquisition, maybe as a mentor, Robbie Ray, who I think will thrive this year, and Tyler Chatwood, who, again, I don’t expect much out of it. A lot of these signings were just filling in the holes at a bare minimum. They lost Chase Anderson, who I never really liked because he didn’t bring much to the mound, Jonathan Villar, who they got a better replacement for, and Ken Giles, he’s 30, not too old, right, well, for relievers, age is something like dog years, so, Giles is around 87. I expect that this is the beginning of a long rebuild, but the Jays handled this beautifully, so, there’s always next year, as for this year, I would they’re gonna be around mid-70s, low 80s in wins.

Baltimore Orioles: Does this team know how to rebuild? From looking at their offseason, I doubt it. They got an aging infielder, Freddy Galvis, who’s not getting any younger, Yolmer Sanchez, who had the sky as his ceiling, but then it dropped off pretty fast, Felix Hernandez and Matt Harvey, both to minor league deals. They lost Jose Iglesias, who they subbed in with FREDDY GALVIS? They also got Hanser Alberto, who has a bunch of untapped potential in my opinion, and Renato Nunez, one of their only young lightbulbs, keyword being young. Orioles fans are going to have to be put on Suicide Watch because with how their team is doing, I expect them to be worse this year.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox had an interesting offseason, last year, they got rid of Mookie Betts, albeit for a handsome payout, but still, Mookie? This year they said bye to Andrew Benintendi. They got Kike Hernandez as a utility man, Hunter Renfroe for the gaping hole in the Sox now (think Selena Gomez without her two front teeth, and there is no Christmas), Martin Perez as a starter, and Adam Ottavino among other relief pitchers and Marwin Gonzalez to give Ron Roenicke some breathing room. They also picked up Franchy Cordero in the AB trade. All they lost was Andrew Benintendi, but as I’ve said, that’s a lot. Beginning of a rebuild, they have embarked on a “Rockets,” which, if you didn’t read my last blog, is a rebuild where you have cap space, no good players, a generally bad team, but enough average players to keep their dignity, so, I’d say them and the Orioles slug it out for the worst team in the NL East.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins are somehow going to have to get back to number one in their division, somehow. They got Nelson Cruz, a slugger but he’s old, so he’ll definitely not do what he was doing earlier in his career, and he may not even be a starter, they got J.A. Happ, another old guy, and Alex Colome, to get that lockDOWN closer. They lost Eddie Rosario, a solid hit almost every at-bat, Trevor May, who just gave them some aesthetically pleasing play, Marwin Gonzalez, a big hit, and Sergio Romo, who is like Ken Giles, 87 years old in reliever years. I think they’re going to sit at 3^rd place in the NL Central.

Cleveland Indians: Now here are some fans that should be put in a rehab clinic, or some Men and Black stuff, like memory wiping. They got Eddie Rosario, who is a big help to them, to at least try to regain Francisco Lindor star power, Amed Rosario, who they shouldn’t expect much out of, and Andres Gimenez. I do think that Gimenez will be amazing in his career but his first MLB season was “eh,” and he was not expected to be “eh.” They also got a bunch of burned out vets on minor league deals, who probably won’t be seeing much of the bigs. They lost Francisco Lindor, the be-all and end-all of the Indians, Carlos Carrasco, a reliable pitcher, Carlos Santana, with biceps that make Arnold Schwarzenneger take a second look, and Domingo Santana, a big bat, but now he’s bringing his talents to Japan. Next year, Indians fans, you have the most cap space, with a stacked 2021-2022 shortstop free agent market, even with 2 or 3 resignations. I think they’ll be fourth in the division, at around 80 wins.

Chicago White Sox: Hey! They got the AL MVP, finally, some more people know that there’s another baseball team in Chicago, let’s capitalize on that, shall we? They got Liam Hendriks and Lance Lynn, both nice additions. No new firepower on offense, aaaaand they lost James McCann, Yolmer Sanchez and Nomar Mazara, that was most of the offensive firepower. One year wonder for the White Sox, I don’t expect them to be back in the playoffs, just one more year of having a great offseason and then we’ll talk, but for now, I think third in the division.

Kansas City Royals: Want a crash course on how to capitalize on something? Look no further than the city famous for Patrick Mahomes. The Royals got one of the most explosive young players right now in Andrew Benintendi and they didn’t give up all that much, Franchy Cordero and two players to be named later. Bargain. Also, they got Carlos Santana, haaa, you thought that was all the offense, huh? Nope, they still got Michael A. Taylor for the defensive side of the ball and he can hit. Another Rangers pitcher was given away, Mike Minor came to Kansas City. All they gave up was Khalil Lee to the Mets, and the three players mentioned above. Alex Gordon also retired. They’re right where they want to be, they got all of the right young players and a good amount of money, but all of this hasn’t amounted to anything –  yet. I say they go 2^nd in the division.

Detroit Tigers: Now here’s a team that is really struggling in sports, not just baseball, all of them. They got Jonathan Schoop and Robbie Grossman, two ok hitters, but to the Tigers, that’s like getting Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. The Mets got rid of the cancer that is Wilson Ramos and the Tigers took him. They didn’t lose anyone big, but I don’t know what is classified as “big,” judge for yourself, Ivan Nova, Austin Romine, and Jordan Zimmerman. The Tigers don’t have any big names, so, back to the gutter for them, 5^th in the division.

Oakland Athletics: Billy Beane would be happy with what David Forst did with the team, dragging them back to the playoffs. I just want to say how amazing Matt Chapman and Matt Olson are, they are the only big talent on the A’s, and they led their division last year. This offseason, they got Elvis Andrus and Mitch Moreland on the offensive end, to smooth out some of the bumps, and Trevor Rosenthal, Mike Fiers, and Sergio Romo (there were a lot, these were the best), Rosenthal to help the back-end of the rotation, and the two others to make the bullpen very potent. My prediction is around 4^rd in their division.

Houston Astros: The cheaters are a good team, no one’s taking that away from them, and I respect good teams unless they get one of their cornerstones for a bag of chips and a can of soda. They got Michael Brantley and Jason Castro came back, giving them solid hitters and “eh” defense. They didn’t lose a lot of players, just one notable player, George Springer. Yes, he’s amazing, did they need him? No, but they do need a superstar CF to pick up right where they left off last year, and better. I think they’ll be first in their division, at around 90 wins.

Seattle Mariners: I saw a gem on the Internet today: the only way to stop Tom Brady from winning yet another ring is to put him on the Mariners. True, true, very true. The Mariners got James Paxton, I’m all for that move, that seems amazing for them, Kendall Graveman, Kenyan Middleton, Rafael Montero, and Ken Giles were all signings to give them a safety net and for their fans not to chew their nails when the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings roll around, like Mets fans. They didn’t lose any major players, just dead weights, Dee Gordon, Carl Edwards Jr. (who’s actually really good), and Mallex Smith. I think they’ll still be really bad this year, I predict last in their division, at around high 70 wins.

LA Angels: Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon are the only actually respectable players on this team, they’re both really good, but can the rest of the team keep up? I don’t know. They got Dexter Fowler, as a mentor most likely, and a small starting role, Raisel and Jose Iglesias, one with amazing potential to make the bullpen great and the other for another mentorship/small starting spot. Jose Quintana and Alex Cobb also make their way to Los Angeles, hey, I like this Angels team, except for Andrelton Simmons departing, along with some small bullpen pieces, but Andrelton Simmons was really good, that guy could range EVERYWHERE, making Derek Jeter-esque plays look easy. I think they’ll be 3^nd in their division, yeah, I said it, and at around 85 wins.

Texas Rangers:  The Rangers need to rebuild, they need a fresh start and then they’ll begin, but bringing in Khris Davis, is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound, it won’t help and when you take it off (trading him or releasing him) will hurt like a b**ch. Mike Foltynewicz, David Dahl, and Nate Lowe are also some players they got, wow, did the Texans get some really good players, but still, my diagnosis is a really bad team and my treatment is a rebuild. They lost Lance Lynn, Elvis Andrus, and Corey Kluber, all of them good players but that doesn’t sum up to what the Rangers got.

NL tomorrow, guys and gals.

Tttttraayyde Talk!

Andre Drummond trade: Well, he’s been thrown around quite a bit, if he goes to the Celtics, the Cavs might get greedy and ask for Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, or Jayson Tatum, which they’re not willing to give. Their mentality is to get Drummond without giving up one of the three listed above, that’s a tough ask for one of the top centers in the NBA. The Knicks might get him. Yes! That’s perfect, move Mitchell Robinson to the 6 man and move Noel in the deal. The Knicks don’t have much that the Cavs want, so, virtually, we’re not losing anything, just potentially gaining. Toronto: I talked about that above, and yes, that’s good, Aron Baynes is not good, Chris Boucher is not the move (I like him but Drummond is better). If we want to get freaky, move Siakam to the 3, Boucher to the 4, and Drummond to the 5, you’re not losing speed and you’re gaining height, I hope Nick Nurse is reading this. Except, Kyle Lowry’s going to have to move in this deal, no doubt. For Colin Sexton and Darius Garland to improve more, Kyle Lowry could be a mentor, like the Rose situation in New York. Knowing how volatile the bottom of the East is, they could be the 11th seed or the 4th seed in a few games, they need all the help they can get. Those are the leaders to win the lottery for Drummond, but the Lakers, Hornets, and Mavs are all in the mix as well.

John Collins trade: This is the Robin to Trae Young’s Batman, you have to keep him. The only catch here is that Collins doesn’t want the puny money the Hawks are willing to pay him, so, they want a lot for him, evidently. The Knicks are in the mix again but I feel like we’re leaning towards Drummond and anyway, we have Randle at PF. The 76ers are a great candidate for Collins, but the Hawks are reportedly looking for a lottery pick, the 6ers pick is most likely late 20s. The Thunder are also a great destination because they could convert to small ball and play Collins at the 5 while still developing Darius Bazley at the 4. Collins is young and also right in the Thunder’s wheelhouse.

Blake Griffin: Griffin could to the Suns, to remake the Clipper’s “Lob City” with Chris Paul. If you don’t know, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin teamed up in Los Angeles and they threw A LOT of lobs. But, the Suns don’t want the cap space, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin both have totally unreasonable contracts and two players cannot make up 50% of your salary, I mean, it’s possible, just not practical. He could also go to the Nets, but then, their bench will be full of Walmart baggers and free agents signed on minimum contracts. But hey, you get 4 great starters, haha. The Thunder? No, just no, because he’s old and he costs a lot, the opposite of where the Thunder should go. The Heat are the favorites, bye Kelly Olynyk and hello solid power forward. They could run a big ball lineup, with Jimmy Butler as the primary ball-handler, Tyler Herro at the 2, Duncan Robinson at the 3, Griffin at the 4 and Bam Adebayo at the 5. Butler can see things differently and he’s a vet, not all primary ball handlers need to be short and fast.

Zach Lavine: He could go to the Knicks. I couldn’t begin to make up some trades but I trust Leon Rose. This would be great. Immanuel Quickley at the 1, Lavine at 2, RJ at the 3, and then Randle and Robinson at the 4 and 5. Wow, we’re a lock for the second round of the playoffs then. Lavine could also go to the Heat, and that would make them a superteam. Duncan Robinson, Kelly Olynyk, and Kendrick Nunn may go. But, we haven’t paid any attention to the Bulls. Why would they trade him? They’re left with Lauri Markannen at PF and barely anything else. I think Lavine will stay in Chicago. Most of these rumors are really just rumors, but some really may happen.

One trade that’s not a rumor anymore is Carson Wentz to the Colts.

This trade is so bad. I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors in NFL front offices, although I would love to, but the Colts were in the market for so much more. They had Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott (if the Cowboys didn’t resign him), Russell Wilson and a QB in the draft all at their disposal, all they had to do was choose. They went with Wentz? Aw, Cmon, Colts! Watson wanted the Colts, Russ might’ve been on the move, or they could’ve drafted Mac Jones. Wentz to the Colts doesn’t make the Colts too bad of a team. They need to draft a receiver, take Kenny Golladay or Allen Robinson in Free Agency and then touch up their defense and they have a really good team. Running backs are good, Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines and Jonathan Taylor, added receivers are good, TEs are good, the O-line is good and their defense is a top 10 in the NFL. What Wentz needs now is renewed confidence and for his teammates to like him. Nelson Agholor was on the Eagles and he didn’t like Wentz, everyone blamed it on Agholor – Agholor leaves – 8 touchdowns, up from 3 with the Eagles, more than 500 yards more in Las Vegas and that’s on only 9 more receptions. His teammates didn’t like him; the media didn’t like him and now, with a coach that he knows? If he doesn’t prove himself here, then, well, bye this North Dakota State star’s career. I think he’s going to do well, this situation isn’t so much physical as mental and I think he’s going to hit the theoretical hammer right on the “good QB” nail. 

We’ll see if the NBA stops being so shaky and, of course, if I’m right.

Basketball Review Continued

Thunder: The OKC Thunder pulled a “Rockets” before the Rockets pulled a “Rockets”. A “Rockets” is where a team sells their good players for draft picks, but still having players that will sustain their dignity. Yes, they’re bad, but they have so many draft picks, so out in the future, that they’re scouting kids who just learned how to walk. Theo Maledon, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort make up a great, young backcourt that’s not producing. The Thunder went a little overboard here because these are young players, but we need some really delicate coaching here, and we don’t want a Michael Carter-Williams or Anthony Bennett. Darius Bazley and Al Horford are great bigs, one’s old, one’s young. I would love to watch this team win, Al Horford is on his death (retiring) bed on this team, if this isn’t his death (retiring) bed then he will be a journeyman for the rest of his career. Bring in a leader, like Leon Rose brought in Derrick Rose, make this offseason the best you can and draft well (because the bad drafting slander will never cease if you swing and miss on this). Claim your OKC Thunder being good again non bandwagon ticket here, with me. Save this blog and show it (rub it in their faces daily and talk to them about it every chance you get) to your buddies when they break big. My prediction: 11th in Conference.

Pacers: Looking back at yesterday’s game will not sum up the Pacers’ season for you, that was a warning, because I didn’t want you to think that their team is better than KD, Curry, and Klay Thompson, or KD, Kyrie and Harden. They have a good team, and they’ll win a lot of games. Malcolm Brogdon and Justin Holiday are not a good backcourt, Brogdon is as volatile as the stock market right now, Holiday never displayed even smidges of signs to be as good as his good brother, Jrue Holiday, and before you go hunt down the Pacers roster, no, there isn’t a better bench replacement, except maybe Jeremy Lamb, but that’s up to the HC. Doug McDermott is just a placeholder, in my opinion, 13 points for a bench player? Douggie will take that. TJ Warren is actually there at SF but he’s injured, personally, Warren is built like a borderline PF, but he plays like an SG. Wow, that’s a player I want. Of course, he doesn’t have the speed of a guard and doesn’t have the height of a PF, so that’s the only downside to him, he’s in the middle, but you can’t call him an SF. The frontcourt for the Pacers is dangerous, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are stereotypical bigs nowadays, Sabonis can shoot and Turner is dabbling in shooting. Both are great and defense and they both don’t specialize in back-to-basket play, except for Turner, because you can’t blame a giraffe for reaching a 20 ft banana. If you look at the big picture, this roster is built for 4th or 5th place in the East, which they are. My prediction: 5th seed

Knicks: My favorite team, finally, finally turning it around. It’s wild what a better coach can do to a team. Exit David Fizdale and enter Tom Thibodeau and you’ve got a 6th place team, that weren’t just bottom feeders in the East or the NBA. We weren’t even at the bottom of the food chain. We were whale excrement, just sitting at the bottom of the ocean. Well, now, with the right roster moves right before the deadline, we could be like a bass, or a trout, or salmon. They start Elfrid Payton at point, I don’t like that, no one does, Derrick Rose should be the 1. Reggie Bullock shouldn’t even be the third string shooting guard on a bad team (yes, I just said the Knicks aren’t a bad team). Start Immanuel Quickley at SG or put him as the second string at point. I’m pleased with RJ Barrett’s performance so far, yes, I want him gone, yes, I’ll give him a little more time. Kevin Knox has to go, please, he was pulling comparisons to Jayson Tatum or Paul George when he was drafted, and now he has to go. Julius Randle is a great player, he may be one of the best power forwards right now, I’ll put him at 3, behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis. There may have been slight bias but I will give you a solid argument for each PF why he shouldn’t be better. Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel are really good centers, they hold down the fort well together and separately. Obi Toppin has yet to prove himself, but Immanuel Quickley is going to be the next Jeremy Lin. They’re both guards and they both play the same way, he plays electrically, and right now, everyone is rooting for Quickley. 

My dream Knicks lineup:

PG: Derrick Rose

SG: Immanuel Quickley

SF: RJ Barrett

PF: Julius Randle (offense plays around Randle)

C: Mitchell Robinson

Bench: Elfrid Payton, Nerlens Noel and Obi Toppin.

This way, the fans are happy and the Knicks are better.

Next, the trades.

Basketball, yes, finally.

I will write about 6 teams in two posts, randomly generated, and then trade talk. Here is the order: Raptors, Magic, Clippers, Thunder, Pacers and Knicks, all done by a random number generator.

Raptors: 7th in East. This is such a good roster. Kawhi Leonard was just a really good boost to send them to the Finals and win. Kawhi Leonard is criminally overrated, yeah, great defender, good scorer, ferocious muscles but he’s just a cog in a machine, not like LeBron to the Lakers, Cavs, and Heat. Yes, I know, after I said Tom Brady was washed, he went out and won his 7th Super Bowl as if saying, “HA, that’s for you, Yulian!” They are 7th in the East only because the East has emerged with some really big underdogs, like the Pacers and Knicks. Kyle Lowry and Fred Vanvleet make for the most underrated backcourt in the NBA. Vanvleet could play both guard spots but mostly plays the 2 even though he handles the ball really well and does so throughout the game. Kyle Lowry hasn’t really gotten much attention from the media because ESPN and SportsCenter mostly covered the NFL up until about a week ago and BleacherReport turned into OnlyLameloBallReport. Lowry is a productive scorer, not anything amazing because they do have a three headed monster (that’s he’s a part of) and they’re all pretty equal. Pascal Siakam could be moved to small forward, he has everything OG Anunoby has and more. That would free space for Aron Banes to come to PF and Chris Boucher to C. I love Chris Boucher, he is 6’9” and he rebounds like a 7’1” center and can shoot like a SF. Nick Nurse is an amazing coach, last year’s COTY and I love his style. The only flaw I see in this team is their bench. It’s weird, it doesn’t sit right with me. They have shooters but everyone needs to have one solid bench player to play through or a nine man rotation (so one starter is on the floor at all times), but even though the second one is harder, just get a good bench player. My prediction: 8th in the conference.

Orlando Magic: A good team, with a lot of hidden gems, whatever they shed in the offseason didn’t matter because the season is what sucked for them. So say they have been plagued by injuries would be an understatement, Jonathan Isaac, one of the most fun players to watch in the NBA, out for the season. They are playing without Markelle Fultz, Aaron Gordon and Cole Anthony. And, for the moment, without Evan Fournier, their role player shooting guard. They are playing with Michael Carter-Williams, a bust in the 2013 NBA Draft at PG, Terrence Ross, Dwayne Bacon, Gary Clark, and the only bright spot on this team, Nikola Vucevic. At full health, this team is amazing, but, realistically, no Jonathan Isaac, so, their only liability is SF, and that’s huuuuuuuuuge. Dwyane Bacon and James Ennis III cannot, I repeat, cannot play SF for the rest of the year, haul someone in, Magic – at every position except 1 and 5. There’s not much more Vucevic can do, 23 PPG and 11 boards per game are outstanding. He’s not fast, he’s not obligated to pass the ball around and he isn’t a real Joel-Embiid-type-build, but he’s your only superstar. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave Orlando at the end of the season, because Orlando doesn't really suit him. My prediction: They horribly miss the playoffs.

LA Clippers: High hopes for this team at the beginning of last season, yeah, they got to the playoffs, so did the Nets (last year). They’re 21-9, steep decline incoming, though. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are out (when I’m writing this 2/18) and, looking at their roster, that was the system that was everything they played through. Patrick Beverley, Reggie Jackson, and a fading Lou Williams are the backcourt for the Clippers. Lou is having one of the worst seasons in his career, Reggie Jackson was never a real sparkplug and Patrick Beverley’s defense is fading too. It’s almost as though everything’s against the Clippers, oh wait, it is. Not to worry, though, the two superstars aren’t out for too long. Serge Ibaka hasn’t been playing well, compared to his Toronto days and Nicolas Batum was never amazing. The system relies so heavily on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (in my opinion, I still think the Patriots’ system relied more heavily on Brady than here), that they’re slipping and falling. Rebuild mode? Not yet. Do something the Rockets did so perfectly? Not yet, next year (seems I use that term quite frequently in my blogs). Prediction: 5th in West.

More tomorrow.

Ahead of Tomorrow’s Super Bowl 55

I’ve heard this phrase go around for a few days now, I and I think it’s really cool – this Super Bowl is going to be the GOAT of the Old Generation, Tom Brady (or every generation in my opinion, unless Patrick Mahomes or Trace McSorely has anything to say about that) versus the GOAT of the Next Generation, Patrick Mahomes, and their supporting cast – it’s like Mission: Impossible (except with a few more characters [players] on both sides).

Maybe now you can name the whole cast of Mission: Impossible but in some 7-10 years, after the franchise stops producing, you won’t be able to name the other characters, just the main one(s), Tom Cruise, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.

For tomorrow’s Super Bowl, I think that the Bucs need to come out firing because when you’re playing against not only the number one team in the AFC, but also the best and most unpredictable one. If the run game worked so well in the win against the Bills, then the Chiefs should use that as a crutch, but the main support, for both teams, should and will be the pass game. If I’m talking about blitzes (you might be thinking to yourself – when was this guy talking about blitzes? – you’re right, when?) then I would say that it would be horrible to blitz both QBs. One, because Tom Brady has the best pocket presence and awareness in the league and he will get rid of the football really quickly and for the opponent – when you blitz Patrick Mahomes, he will roll out of the pocket, or if that fails then he’ll find someone (ah hahaha, I’m entering your mind again, you’re thinking to yourself – hey kid, you know how stupid that sounds? – yeah, yeah I do, I don’t get it either) because we’ve seen SportsCenter lose control over themselves when it happened the first time and when history repeated itself.

Talking about playbooks and game plans, a game plan in the regular season is far different than one in the playoffs and I think both of them are far different than the one in the Super Bowl. So, I think that the viewers will see a game plan that’s tailored around combating what the other team did to the Bills and the Packers, respectively.

I know, choppy language, let me clear it up. The Chiefs will try to account for the run game and try to just PLAY better in the redzone than the Bucs. The Bucs will just play the pass, especially the deep zones and the mid zone, if it is a run, then the Bucs’ freakishly good Front 7 will stop it. I think it will be thrilling (Yes, I know I sound like a science teacher getting his/her blood pressure up by talking about the Water Cycle), seeing Andy Reid and Bruce Arians bounce off of each other’s play, but the matchup we’ve been waiting for, which might be a conspiracy orchestrated by the NFL by doing all sorts of science/tech-y things to make certain teams lose games and certain teams win games to perfectly create a matchup for Tom Brady to hand the torch of the NFL onto Patrick Mahomes, if you haven’t guessed it yet, the Bucs will win it.

Final Score: 27-21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Back to some unfinished business …

Packers vs. Bucs: This game looks easy on paper, the Bucs are playing with 5 above average players at their position and while the Jets have absolutely no one, we don’t even have a best player (me, a Jets fan, quietly crying reviewing the Bucs roster). The Bucs have the GOAT at QB, and he has so many more players to throw to than he had in New England. I thought that the Rodgers-Adams connection would be too much to handle. Factor in the run game with Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, and Jamaal Williams and a good defense and I thought that’s the recipe to beat the Bucs. But, the GOAT, in what may be his final season, defied all expectations – again. Not many people predicted a State Farm Super Bowl, but I was a black sheep, and my prediction just made sense. I thought the probable 2020-2021 MVP would throw for over 350 yards with four touchdowns and one pick, not really. It just didn’t come together, the Packers were always playing one step behind and were always treading a swamp, instead of plain water. The Bucs? Oh, they just walked, they didn’t need to tread anything. A nonexistent run game got going really well, using their tank, Leonard Fourtnette, more than my would-be choice, Ronald Jones II. And he produced, being their inside-the-10 running back, getting 55 yards on twelve carries and an impressive touchdown run where he stiff-armed and tore his way into the endzone. What won the game for the Bucs was not their defense, their passing game, or their coaching/decision making, no, it was their redzone play. Not one specific play, it was their play in general inside the 20. They would do a mix of passing and running in the redzone, more specifically fades to Mike Evans and Gronk and slants to Chris Godwin, and then outside zone runs to Fourtnette and that would work. Props to them.

Chiefs vs. Bills: The Chiefs were better, Patrick Mahomes and his curly hair are just unmatched. You have to give credit to Andy Reid, not just for being a great coach and leading a team to the Super Bowl for a second straight time but for incorporating a run game that’s virtually nonexistent. I’ll get to how, why, and with whom, but I just want to say one thing. Notice how both coaches incorporated the run game and something different than they did in the regular season. They caught the other team off guard and confused them, while still having a strategy and not running around like a chicken with its head off.  The Chiefs ran the ball more than they usually do, and get this, without their starting running backs even getting started. Andy Reid saw something in Darrel Williams pregame and he produced, 13 for 52 and one touchdown and the rookie Clyde Edwards Helaire got a touchdown on 7 carries and… and… and… 6 yards. Also, the Chiefs wanted to focus on the short or 9-12 yard passing game, and guess what? They put up 38 points. The Bills came in expecting deep passes (usually complete) and a minimal run game, the Chiefs did the extraordinary, they stretched time. What does my mother tell me all the time? There are only 24 hours in a day (or 48 minutes of football in a football game) and you can’t stretch them, at all. The Chiefs still took their deep shots and still took chances but also incorporated the medium passing game and the run game. Another thing I noticed was that the two (to say main here would be an understatement, so I’m going to say, well, only) only receivers, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce got (again, most would be an understatement, literally, they got 89% of the passing/receiving yards of the game, so, I’ll say all, but know it’s not really all) all of the receptions in the game, and that worked, expect more of the same, Bucs. On the flip side of the coin, the Bills played on the flip side of the coin. They didn’t run the ball, when they did, it was Josh Allen tucking it and running it. Josh Allen spread the ball around really well for a young QB who is pretty much only targeting his best friend, Stefon Diggs, both on and off the field. Cole Beasley, the definition of Swiss Army Knife, caught 7 passes for 88 yards while reportedly playing on a broken leg, yes, I wrote that correctly and you read that correctly. The Bills didn’t come in with a game plan as good as the Chiefs, but hey, with any game plan it’s hard to beat the Chiefs.

Final Note – on Baseball: Trevor Bauer is the biggest Diva in sports history, yes, even bigger than what Kevin Durant did, and is doing (he did, if you didn’t know joining teams to create super teams and virtually spitting on his old team). Trevor Bauer got Mets’ fans excited that he’s coming to New York, LA wasn’t even in the Trevor-Bauer-Media-Spotlight-Talks (keep in mind I said “spotlight,” hardcore baseball fans knew he was in talks just regular fans didn’t) until 2 or so days before he signed. Then, even though the Mets have built a great team under Uncle Steve Cohen and we offered him more money than the Dodgers, he spurs us and walks over to LA, wow, thanks, Bauer. Let’s see him go 8-7 with a 4.17 ERA this season because he was never really amazing. Yes, I know, this paragraph is a sad Mets fan crying but remember, numbers don’t lie, the people interpreting them do. And, we already didn’t really need him, we have a Top 5, or maybe even Top 3, starting rotation in the league, Jacob DeGoat, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco, Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson, and more reinforcements coming.

So, bite me, Dodgers, Dodgers fans, and most importantly, Trevor “Biggest Diva in MLB and the guy who isn’t worth signing” Bauer.