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The 40 Most Valuable Players In College Basketball: Part I

February 25th, 2010

(To read all of Aaron's work, including this article in its ENTIRETY, please visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com)

The idea for this list actually started in a PoliSci class five years ago.

It was the start of the second semester of my sophomore year of college, and my buddy John and I were sitting there listening to some old professor with a monocle talk about Voltaire, the Russian Revolution or something political. I think.

Needless to say, we were bored. Really bored. So John says to me, "Let's make a list. Top 50 college basketball players. At the end of class we'll compare the list." So we did.

I don't remember much about that first list five years ago (I think Chris Paul ended up No. 1. I think), other than that when I handed it John, he skimmed it up and down, got somewhere near the middle to late 30's, and said, "Who the hell is Jordan Farmar???" Much like the Masters, a tradition unlike any other was born that day.

After that, for the rest of college, John and did these lists constantly, three, four times a year, tweaking them like the original Bill of Rights. Then we got out of college, John got some job, doing something, and he left it up to me to carry the torch which is exactly what I'm doing now.

Over the last two days, I've tweaked John and I's original idea, and put together a list of what I consider to be the 40 "Most Valuable" Players In College Basketball. Unlike the original lists, this isn't just a list of the "best," players, because the "best," is simply too arbitrary and objective, like trying to argue who the "hottest," Sports Illustrated swimsuit model is. Why even bother.

Instead, these are the 40 most "valuable." In other words, say in 20 years you were writing the story about the 2010 college basketball season. Who would you have to discuss, in what order and why. That's what I tried to do here.

Along with those parameters, I tried to set up some other rules to try and establish "value," and help figure out what it actually is.

Here are those rules:

1. Competition Matters: My buddy Steve said it best the other day, when he mentioned, "AT I watched Northern Iowa last week, it was a joke. It was a bunch of pale of 6'3 jump shooters running around like chickens with their heads cut off. UConn would beat them by 50. And they're ranked No. 22 in the country! What a joke."

While Northern Iowa fans might disagree with Steve, his point is clear: It's harder to get 21 points and 10 rebounds a night in the Big East than it is in the MEAC or America East. Sorry it's just true.

2. NBA Draft Positioning Does Not Matter: This isn't a list of who the best pure basketball talents are, or what a guy will be like in 10 years. It's based on what they're  doing right now.

For example, Derrick Favors might be the second overall pick in the next NBA Draft. He's dripping with potential, the way that Gary Williams undershirt is dripping with sweat after games. But Georgia Tech is also 18-9 , and 6-7 in the ACC. Would they really be that much better without him? I don't think so.

3. If Your Team Stinks, Your Value Suffers: It's great that you're getting your 20 and 10 every night, seriously I'm happy for you. But if your team is 10-20, how important is what you're doing?

4. How Replaceable Are Your Stats: As an example, I've seen Pitt a bunch of times this year. I like them as a team, and I like Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown as players. But if you replaced any of them with the next guy off the bench, would Pitt's record be much different? I'm not so sure it would be.

5. While Stats Do Matter, This Is A List of Value. In Other Words, How Replaceable Is What You Do?: Again, let me give you another example.

Say you took a hardcore NBA fan that's never seen a Kansas game the entire season. If you showed them the stat sheet, Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry aren't really all that different.

They get basically the same points, Henry grabs a few more boards and Collins dishes out a few more assists. How could someone who's never seen Kansas play definitively say that one is better than the other?

Now, take that same logic, and ask a Kansas fan. While they might give up their right foot to keep Henry on the court, they'd give up their first born child to keep Collins. Big difference.

With that, here is the list. It starts at No. 40 and works its way down, meaning No. 39 is more valuable to his team than No. 40 is.

And if you think I missed any players, let me know. This is supposed to be fun. I just wish I could include everybody.

Today, we'll reveal Part I of this list, players 40-21. No's 20-1 will be revealed Friday.

Hope you enjoy this list, as much as I enjoyed making it.

40. Kyle Singler, Duke: Hey, why not start off this list with a bang right?

Look, I get the knocks on Singler, I do. His numbers are down a bit from last year. He doesn’t have elite athleticism and isn’t a great defender. His NBA Draft stock is dropping like it’s controlled by Bernie Madoff. Oh, and by the way, he might be one of the 10 ugliest humans in recorded history.

But is Duke No. 5 in the country and rolling through the ACC without him? Because I don’t think so.

And while his numbers might be down a bit, let’s look at this thing logically. Duke is playing way more guys in the post then they ever have before. Meaning, Singler is spending a ton of time on the perimeter shooting jump shots, whereas, a year ago he was taking a bunch of four foot chippies.

And for a guy whose numbers are so “bad,” he’s still scored in double-figures in 15 of his last 16 games, and all but one in the ACC. I mean, how many guys in the country could Duke really replace Singler with to get equal production? Five? Six?

39. Kemba Walker, UConn: Ahh, Kemba Walker, maybe the most controversial player on this list. At least in my mom's house anyway.

You see, my mom and I are both alumni of UConn, and watch most of the games together. And she hates Kemba Walker. I mean hates him. Like right up there on her s**t list with the Ayatollah, Simon Cowell, Fidel Castro and Lady Gaga. Weird list, I know.

And like Singler, I get why she and others have grown weary of Walker. He plays most possessions out of control, and some, just downright reckless. He forces too many shots and not enough passes. He makes bad decisions, lots of them.

But in Kemba’s defense, look at who he’s playing with.

The other “stars,” on UConn are Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson, who are nice kids, most of the time probably a little too nice if you know what I mean (Honestly I’ve seen Mormon kids at frat parties less passive than those two in crunch time).

And except for Gavin Edwards, UConn’s bigs are young and raw, which is a nice way of saying that at times they're actually just gawky and clumsy.

Enter Kemba. He’s not perfect, I get it. But when the game is on the line, he wants the ball. And there’s no one else on UConn you can say that about. Finally, here are two other reasons why Kemba made this list:

1. As I said, he wants the ball in crunch time. And I don’t care how pretty or ugly he is when he gets the ball, the guy gets to the foul line and makes his shots. Do not underestimate how important this will be if UConn makes the tournament.

2. Speaking of the tournament, as bad as UConn has been for parts of this season, they can still get there. But it couldn't happen if not for wins against Villanova and West Virginia in the last two weeks. And in those two wins, Kemba went for a combined 50 points, and was the leading scorer in each. I’m just saying.

38. Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia: I’ve seen West Virginia play a bunch of times this year, and honestly, it was hard for me to put Butler (Or any of their players really) this high on the list. Watching them, it just seems like they’ve got seven or eight guys that are pretty much interchangeable which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So why is Da’Sean Butler on this list over Kevin Jones, Devin Ebanks or Wellington Smith?

Because of that group, he is by far the most consistent. Every time Butler goes out there, you know exactly what you’re getting: Double-digit scoring, good defense, no dumb mistakes, and solid free throw shooting. And last time I checked, going for 16 and six a night in the Big East wasn't exactly an easy thing.

37. Quincy Pondexter, Washington: Not only does Pondexter have the coolest name on this list (Seriously, doesn’t he sound like a detective from a bad 1960’s TV show?), but he also doubles as the only player from the Pac-10 to make it as well.

Why is he the only one, you ask?

Well, because the Pac-10 sucks, that’s why.

Anyway, what I like most about Pondexter is that he’s one of those old-school guys who didn’t come to college with a big reputation, bloated ego, or 20 person entourage. Instead, he’s just worked his butt off for four years, and gotten better in each and every one.

He’s taken a back seat to Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman during that time, and is finally now getting his time in the spotlight after earning it. Too bad that the rest of his team (and conference as a whole for that matter), are more dysfunctional than the cast of a Real World season.

36. Ish Smith, Wake Forest: Ish Smith is the classic example of what someone’s value to their team actually is, versus what the stat sheet might tell us their value is.

Take Wake Forest, for example, their box scores, and Al-Farouq Aminu jumps out at you. You’d assume he’s their best player, and talent wise he might be. And ask a scout about him, and they’ll get hot flashes like a 14-year-old girl at a Justin Timberlake concert.

Then actually watch a Wake Forest game. Don’t get me wrong, Aminu is good, but Smith is the straw that stirs them. Take Aminu out of the lineup, and they’re still a top five team in the ACC.

Take Smith out?

They literally might not be able to run a half-court offense. That counts for something on this list.

35. Dominique Jones, South Florida
34. Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall:

Can't have one on this list without the other. Their similarities are just plain eerie.

Jones is a 6’4 shooting guard. Hazell is a 6’5 shooting guard.

Jones is averaging 21.3 ppg. Hazell is averaging 21.5.

Both are on teams treading water for an NCAA Tournament berth. Neither of those teams could beat a good girl's high school squad without them.

Oh, and one more thing. When these two played each other earlier in the year, Jones went off for 28 points. Guess how many Hazell had? Yep, 28.

Told you the similarities were eerie.

33. Ekpe Udoh, Baylor: Look at Baylor’s stat sheet, and LaceDarius Dunn (18.9 ppg) and Tweety Carter (16 points, six assists a game) jump out at you.

Here’s the thing though: Any coach in America can find a couple of guards to handle the ball and hit open jumpers. They’re a dime a dozen.

But try to find an athletic 6’10 guy that’s competent on offense, rebounds hard and protects the rim. There just aren’t that many of them out there. And when you’re able to successfully recruit one, you know you’ve arrived as a program.

Well guess what?

Udoh is the first player that Baylor has had like that since Scott Drew took over the program seven years ago. Not coincidentally, this is also his best team during that time. My guess is that Drew would part with Dunn or Carter before he would Udoh. Just my guess.

32. Gordon Hayward, Butler: Howard is a really good player, on a really good team, with an underrated all around skill-set. Not to mention he also wins the award for “Token White Guy That Announcers Get A Little Too Excited About,” when he does something good.

Here’s why I can't put Howard in a better position on this list though.

I like his game, but based on what Butler tries to do (run a smart, crisp half-court offense, and play lockdown defense), is Hayward really that important to their success?

Yeh he’s good, but they also have four players scoring in double-figures. Couldn’t you plug in a lot of 6’7-6’8 wings from around the country that’d be able to put up similar stats to what he does?

Butler is 25-4 right now with him. What’s the worst they’d be if you replaced him with a guy almost as good? 23-6? 22-7?

Again, one of the criteria (and maybe the most important one) is how valuable you are within the makeup of your team. Using that logic, I'm not so sure on Hayward.

(To read the REMAINDER of this article, please click here, or visit Aaron at www.aarontorres-sports.com. Also be sure to follow him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres)

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Posted in ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, College Basketball, Duke Basketball, Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Lance Thomas, Mike Krzyzewski, NCAA, Nolan Smith, Opinion, ncaa tournament

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Washington Wizards Made All the Right Moves, Save for Gilbert Arenas

February 24th, 2010

Just days after the Wizards completed trades that sent Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and Brendan Haywood elsewhere, GM Ernie Grunfeld has failed to fully answer the nagging question on everyone's mind.

What does Washington plan on doing with Gilbert Arenas?

In several interviews, Grunfeld has highlighted that Arenas is still under contract for four years with the team, and that he is free to come back once his suspension is over.

"Gilbert is still one of the top players in this league. He’s under contract and he’s going to be with us. He’s part of this organization," Grunfeld said. "If he wants to play, this is the place where he’s going to play."

For a team that has shown every intention to rebuild, is Arenas the right player to rebuild around?

Arenas, to his credit, can be an explosive scorer and was showing improvement with his passing. It was only a few years ago that he was hitting game winners left and right, pouring in 30, sometimes 40 and 50 point games.

What he could never quite crack was the leadership quality. The locker room belonged to Jamison.

So what, Arenas isn't a leader, what would be so bad about welcoming him back?

Allowing Arenas to return after his suspension is placing greater value on a name than the organization. Jamison and Butler were the ones carrying the Wizards for the two years Arenas was out, and the entire time it was always about when Arenas would be healthy again.

Part of that blame belongs to the media for highlighting Arenas instead of the others, but that is precisely the problem. No matter what the Wizards go through, it will always fall to Arenas to give the explanation. Recent history has shown that he will never accept blame for his own shortcomings, and that is a selfish quality.

To be a leader, a player must be able to defer the success of his team to his teammates and should take it upon himself to shoulder the blame for the team's shortcomings.

Arenas was content to point the finger at his teammates for not adjusting their game as he had. After vowing against airing his grievances to the media, he did just that.

The Wizards do not need to taint their fresh start with an egomaniac like Arenas.

Perhaps egomaniac is a bit harsh, but it isn't far from the truth. Arenas created, and was allowed to create, the Agent Zero caricature, and it ultimately led to the locker room incident he is currently suspended for. How often do marquee players in any sport incur felony gun charges only to have their spot on the team held for them?

Washington looked like it was moving on, and Grunfeld had to leave a tattered bridge across the gap between the past and the future. A bridge that cost $111 million and an organization's reputation.

A brief glimpse of a bright future is once again lost under the darkness of poor management.

Let us not forget that it was Grunfeld that assembled the bevy of talent that was supposed to lead the Wizards to the finals. He paid out the nose for the trio of Butler, Jamison and Arenas and the player costing the most but giving the least is the one he decides deserves a fair shake.

For shame Ernie, for shame.

I was on the verge of applauding Grunfeld for his swift action in purging the Wizards of all of the stale pieces that comprised its whole. But it was Grunfeld that dug the hole in the first place. Applause denied.

He may have an impressive resume from his time with the Knicks and Bucks, but everything these days is all about what have you done for me lately?

It is sometimes difficult to overlook all the bad to see the good that has come out of it. Granted, the Wizards have been and will be bad for a few years to come. It is up to Grunfeld and whatever entity takes over future ownership to right the wrongs of the past.

In that regard, perhaps Grunfeld has earned a pat on the back, though his work is far from over.

Over the coming months, the Wizards will be in evaluation mode as their playoff hopes are slim to none. New additions like Josh Howard, Al Thornton, and James Singleton have already shown their worth in three games with the team. Tenured players like Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee are showing promise with the increase in their minutes.

Since the trade deadline, the Wizards are 2-1 and have seen improvements in second chance scoring and defensive effort.

With the current roster, the Wizards are a promising young bunch. But it is going to take more than what they have now to propel them towards bigger and better things.

After making the moves to clear cap space and remove the stale pieces, no matter the initial intent, the Wizards need a plan moving forward. The uncertainty surrounding Arenas makes that nearly impossible because no one knows if he will be a factor in the team's future.

Who knows how many of the new players will be kept around next season? Some of them have certainly earned consideration since their arrival, but what else can they do but play the game when it is not up to them to decide if they stay or go?

The Wizards are a team full of uncertainty moving forward.

If it is truly Grunfeld's intent to start the Wizards on a path of rebuilding, it would be wise to take the idea all the way and part ways with his pet project Arenas. I think Arenas can be a good player in the NBA. I'm just not so sure that his path follows the path Washington is on.

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Posted in Basketball, NBA, Opinion, Washington Wizards

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NBA 2009-2010 Final Predictions: The Beginning Of The Age Of LeBron

February 23rd, 2010

All the trades are in the books and we have a very clear picture of what every team in the NBA should look like for the rest of the year. While most awards and predictions for the rest of the season were given a few weeks ago, now seems like the most appropriate time, so let's get down to it.

 

MVP: LeBron James

This is LeBron's award for years to come unless the voters get bored and vote for somebody else. The Cavaliers were on a 13-game winning streak going into the All-Star break, the majority of these wins coming without number two scoring option Mo Williams.

LeBron is leading a team without a true number two scoring option to the league's best record for the second straight season. It will undoubtedly be the second of many similar seasons.

 

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard

Another boring pick, but Howard is leading the league in rebounds and blocks for a second straight year and anchors the league's seventh-best scoring defense with mostly average or below average defenders around him.

If Howard hadn't won this award last season, he'd be a lock to win again. The voters might want to switch things up, but I do not. Howard is the best defensive player in the league this season.

 

Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans

Let's take a look at two player's statistics from their rookie seasons. We'll name them player A and player B.

Player A averaged 20.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.9 turnovers, while shooting 46 percent from the floor through the All-Star break.

Player B averaged 20.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 3.7 turnovers, while shooting 40.5 percent from the field through All-Star weekend.

Player A is Tyreke Evans. Player B? LeBron James. I don't think Evans is the next LeBron, but his potential to be a great player is far greater than most had previously projected.

 

Most Improved Player: Marc Gasol

Kevin Durant has been the popular choice for this award by most experts, but his year by year improvement of a superstar is just the natural progression of most prodigies like Durant.

Gasol's emergence from the surprising Grizzlies is far more surprising. He's averaging a solid 15 and 9.5 while shooting close to 60 percent and playing good post D. He's arguably a top five center in the league right now.

Of the Grizzlies young players Gay, Mayo, and Gasol, Gasol could surprisingly turn out to be the best of the group. Maybe when their careers are over with, we will look at Marc as the better of the Gasol brothers.

 

Coach of the Year: Scott Brooks

The Thunder went just 23-59 last season, but were a more respectable 22-47 under Scott Brooks after P.J. Carlesimo was relieved of his coaching duties after a 1-12 start.

It is likely if Brooks had had control from the beginning, that the Thunder would have been much more successful last season. Now in his first full season as a head coach, Brooks has the Thunder out to a 32-21 start and in contention for a division title.

They've already improved on last year's win total by nine games, and they have 29 games to go. They should win more games this year than in the previous two seasons combined (43 wins).

While Durant's emergence as a true ultra star has been a big contributing factor, Brooks leadership has been a big factor to the Thunder's success this season as well.

 

Best Free Agent Signing: Andre Miller (Portland)

Miller's start in Rip City did not begin well. There were questions of him coexisting in the backcourt with Brandon Roy. Before he arrived, Steve Blake was already named the starting point guard, and there were rumors he would be used as trade bait since the first game of the year.

Despite all of those things, Miller has been a big reason that Portland is still in the playoff hunt, even with the catastrophic slew of injuries that they have suffered. His 52-point outburst against Dallas is the second-highest scoring total in the NBA all season (Brandon Jennings' 55-point game is the first).

His veteran leadership is invaluable to a team that has gone through losing it's two centers, along with playing about a fourth of it's season without it's star Brandon Roy. What was seen as a desperation use of cap space by Portland, now looks like a very smart move by the Blazers' front office.

 

Best Trade Acquisition: Stephen Jackson (Charlotte)

Charlotte made a questionable decision by trading Emeka Okafor to New Orleans for underachieving center Tyson Chandler, but have made up for that move bigtime with their move to get troubled swingman Stephen Jackson.

Jackson has been a revelation in Charlotte, providing them with a true scorer for the first time in franchise history. At 31, Jackson is putting up the best numbers of his career in many areas of his game.

For once, the Bobcats made a good personnel move. If we're gonna blame MJ for most of the dumb decisions they've made, we have to give him some props for this move.

 

Most Surprising Player: Juwan Howard

I think most of us thought Juwan Howard was either retired or dead. Sure enough, he's been the starting center on a probable playoff team for most of the year.

Hey C-Webb, you called the timeout and were out of the league before Juwan. At least Webber still looks under 50. And probably makes more money.

 

Most Surprising Team: Oklahoma City Thunder

We knew this team was up and coming, but nobody saw them as a team that might end up with home court advantage in the first round. NBA teams just don't go from 23 wins to 50 wins as the Thunder could very well end up doing.

I didn't think the Thunder would ever develop into a contender with a Durant-Westbrook-Green core, but they are forcing me to think otherwise now. Sorry, people of Seattle, I feel your pain (as a Blazer fan, watching Durant and as a former Hornets fan, watching a greedy owner uproot the franchise).

 

Most Disappointing Team/Player: Washington/Gilbert Arenas

Obviously a franchise never wants a player that they've recently given a 100 million dollar contract to miss the entire season for any reason. They definitely do not want to have him also hurt the reputation of their franchise at the same time, which is what Gilbert has successfully accomplished.

Arenas wasn't leading the Wizards to a winning season regardless, but without him and with his distractions, this team is in disarray. A fire sale of Jamison, Butler, and Haywood has taken place.

It's pretty sad that the hockey team is the most popular team in the nation's capital these days (Although being a Capitals fan at the moment would be smooth sailing).

 

Predicting the rest of the season

*These are my predictions for what the final standings, awards, and playoff results will be when the season ends.

 

Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: For the second straight season the Cavs will finish as the favorites going into the playoffs. Hopefully for them, the playoffs will go a little bit differently.

2. Orlando Magic: After going through their fair share of struggles, the Magic have finally hit their stride. They are deep and talented and will outlast the younger, less experienced Hawks to grab the number two seed.

3. Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks spent many, many years in the cellar of the East, but eventually all those high picks pile up and make a difference. Stealing Joe Johnson from Phoenix has helped just a bit as well. This is a dangerous team.

4. Boston Celtics: It's sad what has become of KG. The "big three" in Boston now consists of Pierce, Allen, and Rondo instead of Garnett. His career won't last too much longer, and neither will Boston's run as Eastern contenders.

5. Toronto Raptors: Chris Bosh is having an MVP caliber season and really looks like a franchise player even without significant contributions from newcomer Hedo Turkoglu. This isn't a contract year phenomenon either, Bosh is the real deal: a top 10 NBA player.

6. Charlotte Bobcats: Charlotte might not be a contender, but they make for a very dangerous first-round opponent. Stephen Jackson can score as well as anybody and Larry Brown will out coach many of his adversaries. Bobcats fans (if they exist) finally have been given a team they can be proud of.

7. Chicago Bulls: This is the team that should be the front runner to land one of the big dogs of 2010, not New York. They already have a very talented supporting cast (including a budding superstar point guard) and cleared up a good amount of cap space for this summer. They are not walking away empty-handed.

8. Miami Heat : The injury bug might have finally caught up to Dwyane Wade (maybe it's karma from all of the brain injuries he causes to people trying to spell his seemingly easy first name). They couldn't land the big name they wanted at the deadline, and their season will likely end in a first-round exit because of it.

9. Milwaukee Bucks: This team is really still alive for a playoff spot? Shouldn't they be down near the bottom of the standings? Somehow this group of no names continues to flirt with .500 behind the emergence of lottery picks Bogut and Jennings. Not the prettiest team, but they're fighters and will be until the final game.

10. Philadelphia 76ers: There just isn't much to be excited about as a Sixers fan right now. I like Andre Iguodala, but as a number two option, not a number one. They need to figure out a way to rebuild.

11. Detroit Pistons: A few years ago this was a team that was coming off of it's sixth straight Eastern Conference Finals birth. Now they could be looking at a streak of six straight non-playoff seasons. The future is about as bright as the Marianas Trench right now for the Pistons.

12. New York Knicks : Wow, somehow the Knicks managed to unload Jered Jeffries at the deadline and landed a rejuvenated T-Mac as well. If they can get McGrady and Lee to stick around at reasonable prices, they could very well draw one of the big names that free agency will offer. We'll just have to see.

13. indiana Pacers: The Pacers always get unlucky and end up with the 8-9 pick in the draft, missing out on the top players every year. This year will probably end up the same way. It can't be fun to be a Pacers fan (at least they've got the Colts)

14. Washington Wizards: When a team trades their best two players and only gets the league's biggest party boy in return, that's usually not a good sign for that franchise. Good news though, they're now under the luxury tax! I'm sure Wizards fans are thrilled that their owner doesn't have to shell out a few extra million of his hundreds of millions of dollars.

15. New Jersey Nets: The Nets have been the best team in the NBA at losing this year. Hopefully, for their fans sake, they don't continue their bad luck and lose the lottery (AKA John Wall). Wall-Lopez-Harris-a decent free agent=playoff contender next season.

 

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers: Does the Lakers' dominance without Kobe even leave a question about who the best player in the league is now? This is essentially the same Lakers team that won the title last year. They should make it there again.

2. Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony has taken his game to a new level this season. When talking about the top five players in the league now, he has to be in there or at least strongly considered. I've never been a big Melo fan, but he's undeniably a truly great player now.

3. Utah Jazz: A great point guard, a great coach, two very good power forwards. That makes a pretty good NBA team. And the Jazz have all three of those things right now.

4. Dallas Mavericks: Their additions of Butler and Haywood aren't necessarily game changers. Since when is Haywood been considered a better than average NBA center? They should be about the same team that they've been all year.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant is unbelievable. He's totally taken the Thunder on his back and made them into a very dangerous team in the West. Guess what? He's only 21 years old.

6. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs aren't impressing anybody right now, but it's hard to see them missing the playoffs while trotting out a lineup that includes Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. The question is, how often can they have all of those guys out there?

7. Portland Trail Blazers: The addition of Marcus Camby is huge, especially if Brandon Roy is going to miss extended time again. This Blazers team is tough enough to hold up even without Roy for much of the season. They will need Roy to make any sort of noise in the playoffs though.

8. Phoenix Suns: Being a Suns fan must be horrible. They have a top fivr center playing in the perfect system for him with a historically great point guard, and they're trying to ship him off for 30 percent of his worth. Owners, if you have enough money to buy a professional sports franchise, pay your players and make your fans happy. Disgraceful.

9. Houston Rockets: They didn't want to have to part ways with Landry, but they did. That's about all that they gave up for two potential lottery picks, a very good wing scorer, and some other good pieces for the future. I'd give up Carl Landry for all of that.

10. New Orleans Hornets: With Chris Paul in the mix they might have been able to sneak into the playoffs this year. Without CP3, no way.

11. Memphis Grizzlies: All good stories come to an end, and it looks like this one is coming to a halt now. Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, and O.J. Mayo can only share the ball for so long.

12. Los Angeles Clippers: Another great trade by Mike Dunleavy. Trading one of the league's best defensive players and rebounders for a backup point guard and a guy who has barely been on the court this season. If that opportunity ever arises, the trigger has to be pulled.

13. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry was a steal where Golden State got him. Who would have thought that this kid would be a 15-point, five-assist, and four-rebound player right away? I don't know if anybody thought he'd be a four-rebound player ever. Imagine Memphis or Oklahoma City with Curry. He'd really be helping them right now.

14. Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans is a man, but his teammates don't seem to love him very much. He is a bit of a ball hog and unless he changes that, the Kings will keep losing. Getting rid of their only other true scorer can't help his selfish ways.

 

15. Minnesota Timberwolves : If the Clippers didn't exist, the T'Wolves would be the symbol for a dysfunctional franchise. Their top pick won't even play for them, they can't get two talented big men to play well together. They have lots of problems, and they aren't getting better soon.

 

Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs over Magic in seven

 

Western Conference Finals: Lakers over Nuggets in seven

 

NBA Finals: Cavs over Lakers in six

 

LeBron's Summer Destination: Cleveland

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Texas Longhorns Football Recruiting: Junior Day Strategies

February 23rd, 2010

Junior Days are right around the corner, so I thought we’d break down needs, talk recruits, and find a ray of gridiron sunshine in the long and cursed offseason.

CTJ gives us his thoughts too . Had I realized, I might have saved myself the typing.

Unlike last year where DFW held an absurd amount of the state’s talent, the elites in the state are pretty well dispersed in DFW, Houston, CenTex. Ordinarily good news for us, but now it just doesn’t matter. There’s no part of the state we’re not welcome in. Inner city Dallas? Parts of East Texas? All good now.

The traditional strongholds for recruiting rivals just don’t hold up anymore. We’ll do our usual battles with OU and fight LSU more than we did last year. USC was absent from the state last year, but I expect that we’ll see Kiffin and his crew again, which should make for good fun.

Street agents. This year’s Lache Seastrunk and Ahmad Dixon will make themselves known soon enough. Just look at the guys listing USC, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, and Oregon in their early recruiting. I haven’t heard anything about the current big names yet. Rest assured that we’ll see a handful of the top 50 play the game.

The key priorities of this class are OT, CB, RB. We need elites and numbers at all.

I’ll assume we have 22-25 scholarships to give. I assign needs numbers in parentheses.

Defense

DT (2)  Take two and close up shop. Desmond Jackson is a must and Marquis Anderson, Malcolm Brown’s Cibolo teammate, works. Quincy Russell is a guy I just read about and he’s pretty intriguing, given his basketball athleticism. I believe that DE Nathan Hughes eventually ends up inside. I think he’s best served as a DE in a 3-4, frankly.

DE (2)  Jermauria Rasco is the Evangel DE that will be targeted by every street agent  program in the SEC. Apparently, he likes Texas a lot, but getting a kid out Louisiana when LSU badly wants him is the toughest play in recruiting. At least he’s not in South Louisiana. Cedric Reed is a guy we’ll battle LSU for, and there are a number of other solid types here. DE Lance Skyler has an Orakpo frame. If you’re looking for an early commit sleeper, that’s a good name. We may use some of the LBs below to create DEs.

LB (2-4)  Lots of choices here. If we take heavy numbers here, they’re being taken as DEs. Steve Edmond is a wrecking ball from Daingerfield and if you catch his film, it’s pretty clear he’ll play with his hand on the ground or as an OLB in the 3-4 one day. Chet Moss is a Day One Junior Day invitee. I didn’t see it on his film. Tevon Randle is a true OLB. So is Kendall Thompson. Anthony Wallace is a true MIKE that we want badly. He’ll be a national battle. Supposedly we’re in on James Vaughters from Georgia. I doubt Muschamp’s ability to get people out of SEC country, but his film tells you why Muschamp would even try.

That’s sophomore film, folks. Whoa.

DB (4-5)  Sheroid Evans is a track-star safety that will tackle. He’s the most coveted guy in the state at the position. So take him and be done. If we can’t get him, Franklin Shannon makes sense. We need corners. Lots of corners. I’ll take Leroy Scott & Quandre Diggs and a CB or two to be named later. I want Miketavious Jones, if only for his name. I used to write about a fictional recruit named LaFroovius P. Jenkins. Some called that racist. Well? Our other CB may be Kolby Griffin, some dude we don’t know, or an OOS stud. I’d like to see us look for an elite, top-flight CB OOS and throw our hat in the ring.

Offense

OL (4-5)  Four is a certainty. Five is an outside possibility. The elite guys are well known so, thank God, MacWhorter won’t have to go sign some of his sleepers. OL are generally low ego, find recruiting to be a irritant, and most will commit during the summer, particularly if it’s Texas offering. We could fill our entire OL class by March with pretty good players and be done, which I think MacWhorter finds greatly tempting. The problem is that we need exceptional dudes, not only to make the schemes work, but to make contributions as sophomores and redshirt freshmen. So it’s imperative that we hold out for elites like Westerman (AZ), Hegarty (NM), and in-state Sedrick Flowers rather than just pluck the low hanging fruit—some of it found conveniently in Cen-Tex. Some other names you’ll hear at OT: Greenlea, Drango, Doyle.

My guess is we take a quick three and then hold out for 1-2 studs. Everyone on the staff understands how important this OL class is, and I don’t think they’ll allow MacWhorter to settle.

QB (1)  Belton’s David Ash will be offered and he will commit. A traditional QB. He’s a less capable runner than Wood or McCoy from what I’ve seen. JW Walsh, the in-state guy I was most intrigued by, is already off of the board to Oklahoma State where he has a real chance of starting as a true or redshirt freshman…and wearing Girbaud jeans. The state doesn’t have great talent at QB this year. I’d prefer we look out of state and sell two years of separation from Gilbert, but I’d rather take a decent in-stater than no one. I suppose one way to ensure you have sufficient depth at QB is to take an OK player with no desire to transfer for every superstar. Polygamists adopt a similar philosophy with their wives.

RB (3)  Joe Bergeron has been more or less committed to Texas since he was 15 so there’s your FB should we decide we want to get serious about a traditional running game. He appears to be 39-years-old and has a NFL body now.

The state has an embarrassment of riches at HB. Traylon Shead would be the sixth-eighth best RB in this 2011 class if he redshirted a year. In my estimation, at least given the grainy film clips I’ve seen and the information I’ve gathered, the state has four elite backs and at least another half dozen that are legitimate studs. Then ten more solid D-1 players. Crazy. Everyone in the Big 12 (and TCU, Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona, LSU, Arkansas) is going to get a good RB from Texas. We need two.

Pick any two from Aaron Green, Malcolm Brown, Brandon Williams, and Herschel Sims and I’m happy. BTW, Williams lacks the hype, but he’s a pure RB. 21.3 200m. 10.6 100m FAT. If we settle for even one lesser back, I’ll be pissed off.

WR (2-3)  Jaxon Shipley has been a commitment since eighth grade. We likely take two more WRs. It’s encouraging that Trey Metoyer is making our first junior day. Miles Onyegbule—hopefully a Dan Buckner with balls and without an equestrian fetish—is another guy you hear about. If we get Shipley and Metoyer, I might consider closing up shop if we’re feasting elsewhere.

TE (1)  We need a player that will go down the seam as capably as Barney Frank’s index finger on a cabana boy’s slacks and will provide an honest extra blocking surface on the edge. Meet MJ McFarland, possibly the finest athlete to come out of El Paso since Trips Right’s younger brother. Go to YouTube and enter MJ’s name and you’ll find a bunch of high school game film. The guy seems legit. He’s No. 85. Frame, good hands. There is talk about Chris Barnett and Max Stevenson, interesting talents in their own rights, but like Spider Man, we’re loyal to MJ.

If we take two TEs, I’m guessing that tells you something about where our attrition is.

Thoughts?

____________

This article was written by Scipio Tex  of Barking Carnival

Follow Barking Carnival  on Twitter: @BarkingCarnival

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Posted in College Football, College Football Predictions, Mack Brown, Major Applewhite, NCAA, Opinion, Texas Longhorns Football

Tags:

Texas Longhorns Football Recruiting: Junior Day Strategies

February 23rd, 2010

Junior Days are right around the corner, so I thought we’d break down needs, talk recruits, and find a ray of gridiron sunshine in the long and cursed off season.

CTJ gives us his thoughts too. Had I realized, I might have saved myself the typing.

Unlike last year where DFW held an absurd amount of the state’s talent, the elites in the state are pretty well dispersed in DFW, Houston, CenTex. Ordinarily good news for us, but now it just doesn’t matter. There’s no part of the state we’re not welcome.

Inner city Dallas?

Parts of East Texas?

All good now.

The traditional strongholds for recruiting rivals just don’t hold up anymore. We’ll do our usual battles with OU and fight LSU more than we did last year. USC was absent from the state last year, but I expect that we’ll see Kiffin and his crew again, which should make for good fun.

Street agents

This year’s Lache Seastrunk and Ahmad Dixon will make themselves known soon enough. Just look at the guys listing USC, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Oregon in their early recruiting. I haven’t heard anything about the current big names yet. Rest assured that we’ll see a handful of the top 50 play the game.

The key priorities of this class are OT, CB, RB. We need elites and numbers at all.

I’ll assume we have 22-25 scholarships to give. I assign needs # in paranthesis.

Defense

DT (2)  Take two and close up shop. Desmond Jackson is a must, and Marquis Anderson, Malcolm Brown’s Cibolo teammate, works. Quincy Russell is a guy I just read about and he’s pretty intriguing, given his basketball athleticism. I believe that DE Nathan Hughes eventually ends up inside. I think he’s best served as a DE in a 3-4, frankly.

DE (2)  Jermauria Rasco is the Evangel DE that will be targeted by every recruiting program in the SEC. Apparently he likes Texas a lot, but getting a kid out of Louisiana when LSU badly wants him is the toughest play in recruiting.

At least he’s not in South Louisiana. Cedric Reed is a guy we’ll battle LSU for and there are a number of other solid types here. DE Lance Skyler has an Orakpo frame. If you’re looking for an early commit sleeper, that’s a good name. We may use some of the LBs below to create DEs.

LB (2-4)  Lots of choices here. If we take heavy numbers here, they’re being taken as DEs. Steve Edmond is a wrecking ball from Daingerfield and, if you catch his film, it’s pretty clear he’ll play with his hand on the ground or as an OLB in the 3-4 one day. Chet Moss is a Day One Junior Day invitee; I didn’t see it on his film.

Tevon Randle is a true OLB, so is Kendall Thompson. Anthony Wallace is a true MIKE that we want badly. He’ll be a national battle. Supposedly we’re in on James Vaughters from Georgia. I doubt Muschamp’s ability to get people out of SEC country, but his film tells you why Muschamp would even try.

DB (4-5)  Sheroid Evans is a track star safety that will tackle. He’s the most coveted guy in the state at the position. So take him and be done. If we can’t get him, Franklin Shannon makes sense. We need corners—lots of corners.

I’ll take Leroy Scott & Quandre Diggs and a CB or two to be named later.

I want Miketavious Jones, if only for his name. I used to write about a fictional recruit named LaFroovius P Jenkins. Some called that racist. Well? Our other CB may be Kolby Griffin, some dude we don’t know, or an OOS stud. I’d like to see us look for an elite, top-flight CB OOS and throw our hat in the ring.

 

Offense

OL (4-5)  Four is a certainty. Five is an outside possibility. The elite guys are well known so, thank God, MacWhorter won’t have to go sign some of his sleepers. OL are generally low ego, find recruiting to be an irritant, and most will commit during the summer, particularly if it’s Texas offering.

We could fill our entire OL class by March with pretty good players and be done, which I think MacWhorter finds greatly tempting.

The problem is that we need exceptional dudes, not only to make the schemes work, but to make contributions as sophomores and redshirt freshmen.

So it’s imperative that we hold out for elites like Westerman (AZ), Hegarty (NM), and in-state Sedrick Flowers rather than just pluck the low hanging fruit—some of it found conveniently in Cen-Tex. Some other names you’ll hear at OT: Greenlea, Drango, Doyle.

My guess is we take a quick three and then hold out for 1-2 studs. Everyone on the staff understands how important this OL class is and I don’t think they’ll allow MacWhorter to settle.

QB (1)  Belton’s David Ash will be offered and he will commit. A traditional QB, he’s a less capable runner than Wood or McCoy from what I’ve seen. JW Walsh, the in-state guy I was most intrigued by, is already off of the board to Oklahoma State where he has a real chance of starting as a true or redshirt freshman…and wearing Girbaud jeans.

The state doesn’t have great talent at QB this year. I’d prefer we look out of state and sell two years of separation from Gilbert, but I’d rather take a decent in-stater than no one.

I suppose one way to ensure you have sufficient depth at QB is to take an OK player with no desire to transfer for every superstar. Polygamists adopt a similar philosophy with their wives.

RB (3)  Joe Bergeron has been more or less committed to Texas since he was 15 so there’s your FB should we decide we want to get serious about a traditional running game. He appears to be 39 years old and has a NFL body now.

The state has an embarrassment of riches at HB. Traylon Shead would be the 6th-8th best RB in this 2011 class if he redshirted a year. In my estimation, at least given the grainy film clips I’ve seen and the information I’ve gathered, the state has four elite backs and at least another half dozen that are legitimate studs.

Then ten more solid D-1 players. Crazy. Everyone in the Big 12 (and TCU, Stanford, Minnesota, Arizona, LSU, Arkansas) is going to get a good RB from Texas. We need two.

Pick any two from Aaron Green, Malcolm Brown, Brandon Williams and Herschel Sims and I’m happy. BTW, Williams lacks the hype, but he’s a pure RB. 21.3 200m. 10.6 100m FAT. If we settle for even one lesser back, I’ll be pissed off.

WR (2-3)  Jaxon Shipley has been a commitment since 8th grade. We likely take two more WRs. It’s encouraging that Trey Metoyer is making our first junior day.

Miles Onyegbule—hopefully a Dan Buckner with balls and without an equestrian fetish—is another guy you hear about. If we get Shipley and Metoyer, I might consider closing up shop if we’re feasting elsewhere.

 

TE (1)  We need a player that will go down the seam as capably as Barney Frank’s index finger on a cabana boy’s slacks, and will provide an honest extra blocking surface on the edge. Meet MJ McFarland, possibly the finest athlete to come out of El Paso since Trips Right’s younger brother.

Go to YouTube and enter MJ’s name and you’ll find a bunch of high school game film. The guy seems legit. He’s #85. Frame, good hands. There is talk about Chris Barnett and Max Stevenson, interesting talents in their own rights, but like Spider Man, we’re loyal to MJ.

If we take two TEs, I’m guessing that tells you something about where our attrition is.

Thoughts?

 

______________

This article was written by Scipio Tex  of Barking Carnival

Follow Barking Carnival  on Twitter: @BarkingCarnival

Comments Off »

Posted in College Football, College Football Predictions, Mack Brown, Major Applewhite, NCAA, Opinion, Texas Longhorns Football

Tags:



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