Knicks Organization Cleans House, Prepare for the Future

 

The New York Knicks are at it, once again. Mike Woodson cleared out his office Monday morning, and New York Knicks owner, James Dolan, returned to a process he’s been accustomed to for the past decade and a half. That process would be searching for a coach who can lead the team from the big apple to their first championship in nearly four decades.

Many experts claim Woodson, who lead the Knicks to their first Divisional title last season since 1994, should have done more with this year’s team. With starting center, Tyson Chandler out for the majority of the season due to injury, and multiple off the court issues, Woodson should not be left alone on the blaming list. However, when a team has a significant turnaround for the worse, as the Knicks did, coaches get fired. As excruciating as it sounds, that kind of situation is common place in the brutal profession called coaching.

With the mid-season hiring of team president, Phil Jackson, many speculate whether or not he will take over the coaching reigns. In more ways than one, coach Jackson is not the savior. Despite coaching arguably two of the greatest players of all time, Jackson won’t have Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant this time to shine in his patent triangle offence. The whole concept of only coaching home games and having an assistant coach the road games, is staring disaster straight in the face.

Sorry to break the news to all those Carmelo Anthony lovers, but he is also far from the solution to your problems. Anthony has proved throughout his career that he can’t win in the playoffs, and with him turning 29 years old in May, time is becoming more relevant. The best move for the Knicks, in their current state, is to try and get as much value for Anthony while they can. Anthony is expecting to make a max-level contract, and quite honestly I don’t think he’s worth it.

With the recent addition of former sixth man of the year, Lamar Odom, you just hope coach Jackson is able to transition from coach to president. Odom hasn’t experienced much success since his days with the Los Angeles Lakers, however Jackson seems confident Odom can return and ignite a winning mentality.

Regardless with what happens with Odom, the main priority for Jackson and the Knicks right now is to hire the right coach. A quality candidate for the job, in my opinion, is current NBA analyst for TNT, Steve Kerr. Kerr, who played for Jackson in Chicago from 1993-1998, has expressed interest in the job and has said that he anticipates hearing from Jackson in the next few days.

If Kerr doesn’t get the job, expect Jackson to stay within his inner circle and attempt to hire someone with whom he has a relationship. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks, but expect the Knicks to start making decisions sooner rather than later.

NBA Playoffs – Trailblazers vs. Rockets Series Prediction

With the 2014 NBA Playoffs underway, one of the most highly anticipated Western Conference matchup’s is between the number four seed Houston Rockets and the number five seed Portland Trailblazers. Both teams produce a run and gun style of offense, while each have a set of young superstars who can carry them deep into the playoffs.

Dating back to the regular season, the Houston Rockets lead the season series at three games to one, with all three games won in dominant fashion. The one game Portland did steal was due to the all-star play of LaMarcus Aldridge, who put up 31 points and 25 rebounds and got absolutely no help from his teammates. In this game the Trailblazers as a team shot under 40% from the field and coughed up 14 turnovers, it was nothing short of a miracle on how they got this win.

With game one of the playoff series in the books the Portland Trailblazers were able to steal one on the road and gain home court advantage in the series. This game was nothing short of spectacular high pace, high scoring, and who does not enjoy an overtime playoff game. The Blazers were able to pull out a 122-120 victory, with LaMarcus Aldridge setting a franchise playoff record with 46 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out in the overtime period. Damian Lillard chipped in 31 points, nine rebounds, and five assists and sunk two clutch free throws with 17.0 seconds left in overtime to give Portland the win.

On the opposing side the Rockets struggled from the field, both James Harden and Dwight Howard contributed 27 points apiece. Harden shot just 8-28 from the field and missed a potential game tying basket in the final minute of overtime. Dwight Howard also fouled out in overtime on what seemed to be a questionable call. 

Houston led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter until Terry Stotts implemented the “Hack-a-Howard” strategy, which worked successfully bringing the Blazers back to within four. As this game was viewed as a game of runs the Blazers were able to pull out on top and shock the Rockets fans by stealing game one on the road.

As for my game two prediction, lets just say some big changes need to be made if the Rockets don’t want to go down 0-2 in the series. For starters how about playing some defense, you allow the two most scouted players on the opposing team (Lillard and Aldridge) to put up 77 points between the two of them that just can’t happen. We knew this series would be all about the high octane offense, but I mean come on thats just pathetic. Secondly, James Harden being and all-star player in all he is going to have to shoot a whole lot better than 8-28 from the field and stop chucking up ridiculous shots. Pound the ball inside to Dwight and watch him man handle Robin Lopez like we all know he can. As for the game itself I have the Blazers stealing another one on the road leaving the Rockets with their backs against the wall.

For my series prediction I believe the Rockets will bounce back, but I’m still taking the Blazers in 7 I got to much trust in Lillard and Aldridge. Even though they are looked at as a young and inexperience team as long as each player knows their role I can see them being a sleeper team in the Western Conference.

 

NBA Playoffs – the Warriors vs. the Clippers

The Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers series may be the most exciting first round series in the NBA 2014 Playoffs. With an unstopable dunker, Blake Griffin, and an unguardable three-point shooter, Stephen Curry.  I am trying to watch every game, even if I am in class or working.

The Warriors beat the Clippers with an 11 loss in the first quarter. Shall we say the Warriors will win the series? No, no, I don’t think so. At least we could not say that this early.

The Clippers only won one more game than the Warriors but with an astonishing way. Chris Paul had missed more than 20 games which made Blake Griffin grow into a leader. After CP3 came back, the Clippers’ offense has become dominant. How? They could get 115.6 points in every 100 rounds. Only Steve Nash with his Phoenix Suns could compare with this Clippers in NBA history. It is hard to say that this is the reason why the Clippers hired Doc Rivers.

CP3 and BG are one of the best duos in the league, and DeAndre Jordan could maintain his efficiency with increasing time on court. With the deepest bench in the league, the Clippers have a wide range of arsenal. We still could find  defects in their offense. They have J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, Danny Granger, and Jared Dudley.  Their 3 point percentage is only 35.2%, 21^st in the league. Their ability to get second chance points went down from 7^th to 20^th which is Rivers’ style. That is all, and that is the only weakness we could find with the Clippers. They are unstoppable inside the three point line with the second and third place of two point percentage, and second place in free throw shooting. CP3 is a pick & roll master, and he could handle the ball in the crowd.  Crawford and BG are some of the best ball handlers in their positions. These stats put them in 5^th of controlling turnovers. On the defense side, the Clippers have improved a lot. The statistics are similar with last season, but their defense has become more stable. They could limit their opponents’ three point percentage to 33.2% which is the best in the league. But they still need to improve their rebound ability.

NCAA Announces New Approved Proposal

This year’s Most Valuable Player of the NCAA tournament, Shabazz Napier made headlines last week during the Final Four when he complained that he sometimes goes to bed “starving” because he can’t afford food. The NCAA responded Tuesday and have decided to expand meal allowances for all Division I athletes.

The NCAA also announced the decision to reduce the penalty for a student athlete’s first positive drug test. This rule will only be effective for those who fail drug tests in which the substance is something other than a performance-enhancing drug. The decision also changed the rule of a player failing a drug test during NCAA tournaments. Instead of the student athlete missing the entire next season, the new proposal would cut the penalty to only half a season.

These new rules not only apply to scholarship student athletes, but they apply to walk-on participants, as well. Although the legislative council approved the new rules on Tuesday, the NCAA board of directors still have to make the final decision. That meeting is scheduled to take place on April 24^th.

Perhaps the decision of “unlimited meals” for Division I athletes can be viewed as being a little over the top. Currently, many Division I student athletes receive some sort of scholarship or at the very least, some sort of stipend deal. In my personal opinion, those who complain about “going hungry” at night are not using their school-funded scholarship funds appropriately.

There’s a certain point when the NCAA and universities around the country have to stop babying student-athletes. How are they ever going to grow up? I’ve had the opportunity to visit numerous colleges around the country and spend time with friends of mine who are Division I athletes. A continuous theme seems to be that many of these student athletes use a lot of their stipend money on some of the most expensive living villas offered on campus.

On top of not planning out their scholarship funds, numerous student athletes spend their money on clothes and different accessories. Today, tattoos have become more and more evident on student athletes bodies. Some tattoos cost hundreds of dollars depending on the size. So my question is if you have enough money to put ink all over your body, how do you not have the funds to get food if you’re hungry?

It’s hard to avoid the numerous eating opportunities these student athletes received prior to the new ruling. In fact, the NCAA previously had a bylaw that allowed schools to provide snacks such as fruits, bagels, and nuts to athletes. Each school that I visited had a variety of these offerings, and you would think if a player were “starving” he or she would at the very least have those snacks to choose from.

The argument on these new rulings could go on and on and to be quite honest there are valid points that come from both sides. However, I think many of these athletes need to spend a little more time managing their money. Who knows, maybe it would translate to professional athletes who seem to need financial practice most.

Race For The Hardwood

With the playoffs nearing close the official NBA season will come to an end with fifteen games closing out the regular season Wednesday night. With the playoffs set to begin April 20th, the playoff picture is pretty much set with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs leading the respected conferences. As teams begin to prepare for the postseason the competition is still heating up for individual hardwood awards given out at the end of each season which include MVP, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive player of the Year, and Sixth Man of the Year.

Who will win the MVP this year?

This questions has been in debate all year, will it be Kevin Durant or LeBron James? Statistically speaking both players are putting up incredible numbers in the prime of their careers, but according to the panel of judges this race is a landslide in favor of Durant. Durant is looking at another career year, he is leading the league in scoring and single handedly put the Thunder in a top spot come playoff time (with the absence of Westbrook). When it came down to the votes Durant received 78 first place votes to LeBron’s eight so it’s safe to say the King’s reign of MVP has come to an end.

Who will win Rookie of the year?

The race for Rookie of the Year is a little tighter than MVP, but not by much. With the two front runners of Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo running away from the field, MCW is pretty much set to take home the award. MCW was the only bright spot on a pitiful 76er’s team after they traded away most of their players to help their odds of winning the NBA lottery. Carter-Williams led all rookies in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. Oladipo has had an impressive season as well averaging 13.9 ppg and a little over 4.1 assists and rebounds. When it came to the panel MCW received 70 first place votes to Oladipo’s 9, at least the 76er’s won something this season.

Who will win Coach of the year?

Along with the other awards this one is pretty obvious as well, but closer than expected. Eleven total coaches received first place votes for Coach of the Year, but only a couple stood out, Greg Popovich from the San Antonio Spurs, Jeff Hornacek from the Phoenix Suns, and Tom Thibodeau from the Chicago Bulls. Popovich was leading all coaches in votes with 44 from the panel, and who can blame them he led the Spurs to the best record in the NBA and the top spot in a loaded western conference. Hornacek took a young Suns team from the bottom of the conference and made them a playoff team when no one was expecting it. He received 26 first place votes putting him in second. Tom Thibodeau ranked in third place only receiving 10 first place votes from the panel, which is typical, you always expect Thibs to be at the top when it comes to coach of the year. I mean he is one hell of coach leading the Bulls into a top spot in the east even without their MVP Derrick Rose.

Who will win Defensive player of the year?

What a shocker another landslide when it comes to the panel’s votes, Joakim Noah is the clear cut favorite to win Defensive POY and has done so in amazing fashion. Noah is averaging a double double this year with 12.6 ppg and 11.2 rebounds per game along with 1.5 blocks per game. He is not only doing it on the defensive end, Noah is averaging 5.4 assists this season which is a career high and also leads all big men. At the start of the season Pacer’s center Roy Hibbert was the favorite as he was known as the rim protector for a team with such dominating defense, well that has soon diminished. Hibbert is only averaging 10.8 ppg and 6.6 rebounds per game and as of lately has been a ghost to a team that is struggling heading into the playoffs. Noah received three times as many votes as the Pacers big man, making him the clear cut winner for this award.

Who will win Sixth man of the year?

This is one award that is still up in the air when it comes to the votes, shocking I know. The race between Bulls big man Taj Gibson and Clippers guard Jamal Crawford has been tight all season. Gibson has played a pivotal role in the Bulls rotation especially after the mid-season trade of Luol Deng, he has been the leader of the “Bench Mob” in Chicago. Jamal Crawford continues to perform in his off the bench role as well, the defending Sixth man of the year is averaging just over eighteen points and three assists per game. Every coach in the league is looking for a player like this that can give you these types of numbers and energy off the bench. When it comes to the votes Taj leads all players with 31 first place votes to Crawford’s 23, this is one race that could come down to the last game.

A New Generation of College Coaches

Question: does #TTU stand for Texas Tech University, or Too Turnt Up?

Answer: In this day and age it’s both

Question: What does the Lion King have to do with Nebraska Football?

Answer: Bo Pelini knows how to rock the Rafiki/Simba pose

Spring practices for college football are starting to come to a close, but the coaches that were in the headlines this spring were not your usual like Nick Saban or defending National Champion Jimbo Fisher, they were the coaches who are embracing the youth culture and have made a name for themselves on social media.

It all stared with a dance-off

Then a cat was a star of a spring football game

Top Ten Tragic Teams in Soccer 2

Please listen to this while you are reading, enjoy.

Fifth: Hungary in the 1950s

The 1950s was the best time for the Hungarian National Football Team. Ferenc Puskás, Gyula Grosics, Sándor Kocsis, and József Bozsik were the best of the best at the time. They led a football revolution with consummate skills, new strategies, and plays. The reason they were the best was because of their offense. They were all-conquering. They beat another powerful team, England by 6:3, and caused England to lose their first home game ever in 1953. A year later, Hungary won against England in a landslide 7:1 match, which was the biggest loss in English history. In the 1954 World Cup, they beat South Korea, West Germany, Uruguay, and Brazil by 9:0, 8:3, 4:2, and 4:2. In the final, with a 2 goal lead going into the second half, the Hungarian team thought that the championship was already theirs, but West Germany came back with 3 more goals. Underestimating their enemy, Injury (Puskás was injuried), and bad luck made them the “Uncrowned King”. This was their only loss in four years, but unfortunately it was the World Cup.

Fourth: Soviet Union in the 1980s-1990s

Although they were considered to be the underdog in 1980s, the Soviet team became a world favorite leading up to the 1986 World Cup. Key players included Oleg Blokhin, “the Next Lev Yashin” Dasaev, Igor Belanov, Zavarov, and Protasov. The Soviet “Dream Team” was together for just one World Cup due to political changes and the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Third: Yugoslavia in the 1980s

Yugoslavia had been one of the traditional power teams in the world with a glorious history to match. In the 1990 World Cup, with 10 players on the field, Yugoslavia overcame Argentina, who got second place in the cup. They had Susic, Dragan Stojkovic, Robert Prosinečki, Dejan Savicevic, Darko Pancev, and Jugovic. Davor Šuker and Alen Boksic, who took Croatia to third place in the 1998 World Cup, could only sit in the bench. Yugoslavia was suspended in the 1992 European Football Championship, and their replacement, Denmark, won the championship which was a Danish “fairy tale”.

Second: Manchester United in the late 1950s

This was the most legendary team in England. In the late 1950s, Manchester United’s players matured into experienced players. They began to conquer all of Europe in soccer. On February 6, 1958, on the way back to England after a match with the Red Star Belgrade, the British team’s plane crashed, and 23 Manchester players died. It took Manchester United ten years to recover from this tragedy and win their first championship

First: Torino in the 1940s

This is one of the oldest teams in Italy, and the 1940s were their prime time. There were no other teams who could ever compare with them in the Penisola italiana, and the evidence was their four championships in a row. They were about to get their fifth straight championship until a plane crash happened. All the players including nine Italian national players died. Until now, Torino football hasn’t regained their former glory.

Remembering Royce Waltman

            The state of Indiana suffered an unfortunate loss Monday evening as legendary basketball coach, Royce Waltman passed away. Waltman, 72, lost his long battle with cancer in Noblesville, IN.

Perhaps, Waltman is most known by the public for being Bob Knight’s right hand man and helping coach the U.S. Dream Team in 1984. However, his body of work coaching programs around the state of Indiana won over basketball enthusiast’s hearts over the years.

After assisting under Knight for five seasons at Indiana University, Waltman led DePauw, UIndy, and Indiana State to receive national level attention. At DePauw, Waltman won 99 games and reached the Division III national championship in 1990, before losing to Rochester 43-42. In that same year, DePauw topped the ranking polls for the first time in school history.

After his tenure at DePauw, Waltman went to UIndy where he witnessed a struggling Division II team transform into a consistent post-season tournament team in the late 90’s. In the 1996-97 season, UIndy, ranked number 1 for half the season. Waltman then decided to move up the coaching ranks one last time and take over for the Sycamores from Terra Haute.

In 2000, Indiana State won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship, earning them their first bid to the NCAA tournament since Larry Bird’s team in 1979. The next year, Waltman returned his Sycamores to the tournament after winning the conference’s automatic tournament bid. Indiana State received a 13 seed, and wound up knocking off Kelvin Sampson’s Oklahoma team in the first round.

Waltman ended up his coaching career with a record of 336-264. In 2007, Waltman returned to UIndy for one final season. After that season, Waltman decided to stay involved with basketball by analyzing games as IU’s radio color commentator. Waltman stuck with that position all the way up until earlier this year his health issues caused him to take a leave of absence.

If you speak to basketball junkies around the state of Indiana, they will tell you that Waltman and Knight shared similar strategic coaching styles. Hard nosed man-to-man defense, while masterly running that beautiful unselfish motion offense. Unfortunately, that style has somewhat disappeared in today’s college basketball world.

People will not only miss Waltman for his mastermind on the basketball floor, but more for his always genuinely kind and selfless attitude. The state of Indiana has lost a special one, but the legacy and remembrance of Royce Waltman will live on forever.

Freshman Lack Experience

I didn’t think it would be possible for five freshman to make a run in the NCAA tournament and win a title, and I was almost proved wrong. Tuesday night the Kentucky Wildcats came up six points short in hopes of raising that national championship trophy, losing to Shabazz Napier and the UConn Huskies 60-54.

Napier was sensational, he finished with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists and pretty much did everything his team needed. Napier is just one of three seniors who chose to stay at UConn after winning the 2011 National Title, even after Jim Calhoun chose to retire, and the program was deemed ineligible for the NCAA tournament last year.

But, he was not the only stand out Tuesday night, his partner in the backcourt and fellow senior Ryan Boatright chipped in 14 points and played lock down defense on the Harrison brothers only allowing a combined 15 points between them. UConn got off to a hot start with Boatright contributing eight quick points to start the game, but it was not until the second half when Boatright hit a bump in the road. He suffered a twisted ankle on a pass he was receiving from Napier. Kevin Ollie quickly called a timeout to get him checked out and he ended up staying in the game.

“I’ve got a lot of heart and I wasn’t coming out,” Boatright said. “We put in too much work all year for me to give up on an ankle sprain.”

If it wasn’t for the guard play for UConn, Kentucky’s fab five freshman would be reigned national champs, but unfortunately for them that’s not the case.

Calipari’s freshman were just straight rattled. They played conservative and nervous all game and seemed to not get into a groove all night. Yes, they made some big shots when they needed it (minus the 13-24 free throw shooting), but in the end Kevin Ollie and his experienced senior leaders had the upper hand. The Wildcats never lead in this game and just seemed to be one step behind as the Huskies held of rally after rally.

The next big question is, what will happen to Kentucky’s freshman? Julius Randle, whose presence was scarce in the championship game only contributing 10 points and a handful of rebounds is projected as a lottery pick if he chooses to leave for the NBA. The other three notable freshman James Young, Aaron Harrison, and Andrew Harrison could all be mid to late first-rounders if they also choose to leave, but do they want to leave on this note?

According to Calipari in the press conference he was asked this question as to what he thinks they will do and responded with:

“I think all these kids are coming back, so I think we should be good.”

You can imagine this got a couple laughs since Kentucky is known as the one and done school of college basketball.

After it was all said and done, Shabazz Napier was named the most outstanding player of the tournament, which was well earned I mean who doesn’t get excited to watch him play. The Huskies have won two titles in the last four years, which I think makes them a dominant force of college basketball and Napier steadily watched his draft stock rise throughout the tournament. Let’s just say Kevin Ollie and the Huskies will be relevant in college basketball for many years to come.

I bet this guy is regretting getting this tattoo…

 

Top Ten Tragic Teams in Soccer 1

Ten: The Scotland in 1970-1990

Tragic point: 7

The Scotland entered into the FIFA World Cup five times in a row (1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1990). They were the only team who ever done this without championship or host status. Unfortunately, they had never made the knockout stage because the losses to the weakest team in their group. In the year of 1974, they were the only unbeaten team in the whole world, but they got less goal difference than the Brazil and the Yugoslavia. The next World Cup, they could beat with the Netherlands who won the second place later, but tied with the Saudi Arabia. They could win top teams because of they had strong backs and midfielders. Kenny Dalglish, who played midfielder in the Scotland, won the Ballon d’Or Silver Award in 1983. Gordon Strachan was one of the best leftwinger in 1980s. Graeme James Souness who played central defender was the captain of the Liverpool Football Club which was the strongest one in the Europe. They could not win weak teams because of the lack of good strikers. There was no striker for the Scotland after Denis Law. They may consider borrowing one from other island on the Great Britain, like Ian Rush from the Wales.

Nine: The Netherlands in the 1990s

Tragic point: 7

There have been countless big names since 1970s, and there was a peak in the 1990s. Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Steven Davids, the de Boer brothers, Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard were in one team, right, that team was the Netherlands. In these ten years, these big names could not be put in the honor book, no matter it was the FIFA World Cup, or the UEFA European Championship. They lost to the Denmark, the France, the Italy in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 UEFA European Championship. The Brazil beat them in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. What amazing is that they  lost those games in penalty shootouts.

Eight: The England in the 1980s

Tragic point: 7.5

Same with the Netherlands, the England owned all those stars, Peter Leslie Shilton, Bryan Robson, Ray Wilkins, Terry Butcher, Gary Winston Lineker, Chris Waddle, John Barnes, and Paul Gascoigne. In 1982, they beat the France, the Czech, and the Kuwait; they tied with the West Germany who won the second place later, and the host the Spain, but they did not make to the final. The next World Cup, England lost to Diego Maradona’s hand of god. In the year of 1990, they lost to the West Germany in penalty shootouts. The England had chance to win the trophy, but they did not.

Seven: The Brazil in the 1980s

Tragic point: 8

The Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup twice since 1990 (1994, 2002), but most elder fans think that the Brazil in the 1980s was better, especially with all those midfielders. Arthur Antunes Coimbra Zico, Paul Roberto Falco, and Sócrates were masters. They were not playing soccer, they were playing arts. All those dazzled plays, and free-flowing offense, they were the Chopin on the soccer field. They have played two World Cups together. Oleg Blokhin, and Dasaev’s Soviet Union; Kenny Dalglish’s Scotland; Zbigniew Boniek’ Poland; Emilio Butragueno’s Spain; even Diego Armando Maradona’ Argentina were beat by this Brazil team. And all those matches are classic. In the 1982 World Cup, they understated the Italy (the Italy was really weak in those group matches), so they lost. The next World Cup, the match between the Brazil and the France was the peak of artistic soccer, but the Brazil lost in penalty shootouts. They had lost once in these two cups, but they only got the fifth place for both.

Six: The Netherlands in the 1970s

Tragic point: 8

This team led a soccer revolution, and that is we called the “Total Football”. It is the label given to an influential tactical theory of soccer in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. There were really successful in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cup. This team was tragic because they lost to the host in the final twice in these two cups. No matter how, people will always remember these names: Johannes Hendrikus Cruijff, Pieter Robert Rensenbrink, and Johan Neeskens.

To be continue.