Mario Williams: Out of the Shadows

This article was originally published at Sports Central.

When the Houston Texans picked Mario Williams first overall in last year’s draft, they immediately placed him into a lose-lose situation. The Texans’ offense was miserable and no matter what Williams did on defense, he would always be overshadowed by the performances of Reggie Bush and Vince Young, the two other players that were heavily considered by the Texans in the 2006 draft.

While many could still argue that it was a terrible draft-day decision, there no reason to put down Williams’ performance at the same time — even if he had a less effective season than Houston’s second-round pick, DeMeco Ryans.

Williams was drafted for one main reason — potential. He had a pretty good final season at North Carolina State, but it was his performance at the combine that caused scouts to salivate and made the Texans take him first overall.

When a team drafts a player based on potential, it is completely unfair to compare him to “NFL-ready” players from the start.

While Vince Young was being promoted as the Tennessee Titans’ savior and Reggie Bush was being hailed as the greatest thing to happen to sports since LeBron James, Mario Williams was doing all he could to work on his game while ignoring the media hype surrounding the performance of his rookie peers.

This year is different.

In the Texans’ opening game of the season, Mario Williams came up with a huge performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, amassing 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 TD on a fumble recovery. While it is too early to tell whether or not Williams is ready to take his game to the next level, one thing is certain: the guy is 6’6″ of pure potential.

The Texans completely dominated the lowly Chiefs, forcing 4 turnovers and capitalizing on the opportunities given to them. They have improved from top to bottom with improvements made at quarterback, running back, punter, kick-returner, and, most importantly, coaching. With Gary Kubiak coming into his first full-season with the Texans, expectations were high. After one game, there’s a chance that these expectations might actually be met.

Yes, the Texans only beat the Chiefs and sure, Mario Williams has only played one game this season. Houston has nonetheless made steps in the right directions. They have finally given themselves a chance to forget about last year’s draft. But if Williams continues to play with the same tenacity that he showed against the Chiefs, the 2006 draft might be one that Houston fans want to remember after all.

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Violence in Sports

We, as humans, have been enamoured by sporting events for thousands of years. Prehistoric art painted on cave walls in France portrays evidence of ritual archery as being a leisurely activity. Captain James Cook, upon being the first Western visitor to the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, saw the native people surfing. When I visited the Mayan ruins of Tikal, in Guatemala, I heard of the Mesoamerican ballgame in which two teams (with a varying number of players) would hit a rubber ball back and forth, attempting to cause the other team to be unable to return. In some cases, war captives would play the game with the loser being decapitated for blood sacrifice.

In modern society we continue to be entertained by sports. Many times we too, much like the Mayans, take it quite seriously.

In Kelowna last month a young referee, Brandon Wright, was confronted by two players following an issuing of a red card (automatic ejection). The player then grabbed his collar and wrestled him to the ground. Wright managed to free himself from this attack before being crushed by a larger set man named Mark. Eventually, Wright was able to call for help and everything was cleared up. He left having cleat marks on his arm and various bruises across his body.

While not everybody gets this angry over sports, this kind of ridiculous behaviour seems to be happening more frequently. In the last five years we have seen everything from NBA players, who are making millions of dollars a year, getting in brawls with the opposing team’s fans to hockey mom’s screaming at junior league referees to the point of legitimate fear being evident. We have seen the Chilean U-20 soccer team fighting with police in Toronto and the always infamous Todd Bertuzzi sucker punch of Steve Moore. The list could go on, and on, and on.

If we continue to accept these kinds of actions without punishment, the frequency will continue to increase much like unpunished ignorance of the speed limit would cause an increase in the amount of people speeding on our roads.

Actions must be taken on each level. Not just legal action, but social action. It’s our job as much as anybody else’s to put an end to these unacceptable occurrences.

There’s a reason nobody is playing the Mesoamerican ball game anymore – and there’s no reason we need to be taking our sporting activities that seriously either.

The Celtics are Moving Forward

When Kevin Garnett was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics, many NBA columnists, basketball experts, and message board “gurus” (as we often think of ourselves) discussed the age-old argument of “future prospects” versus “winning now.”

We all can agree that Danny Ainge traded away many talented young players for one superstar in return. What we seem to disagree on, however, is whether it was worth it or not.

I’ll recap the trade for you who don’t know the specifics:

Boston received: Kevin Garnett

Minnesota received: Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and two future first-round draft picks

To add to that, the Ray Allen trade with the Sonics must also be put into consideration. The Celtics obtained Ray Allen on a draft-day deal along with the 35th overall pick (Glen Davis) for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and the fifth overall pick (Jeff Green).

So, with the two deals being made, the Celtics gave up six players under 25 years of age that are packed with potential, two extra draft picks, and a guy who has averaged over 15 ppg for his career. All of this for two aging superstars and a second-rounder.

The question of “was it worth it” cannot be answered now. However, in five years, we’ll all know whether this was the greatest trade of all-time or the biggest fire-sale in history.

The Celtics had a very talented young squad that, quite frankly, wasn’t going anywhere. Last year, these “studs” were fighting for the rights to Gred Oden or Kevin Durant rather than fighting for any chance of making the playoffs. Sure, Gerald Green will be a star one day soon, Al Jefferson will be a star one day sooner, and Jeff Green might be the name Celtics fans hate to see for years to come. However, while the future is always loaded with prospects and players with potential, the “now” is the most important thing of all.

Right now, the Celtics have three superstars all eager to win a championship.

Whether they can do it with a major lack of a supporting cast is the real question. If the Celtics go on to the NBA Finals three times in the next five years, it was worth it. If they win the Finals once in the next five years, it was worth it. If the Celtics become and remain a big name in the Eastern Conference for the next five years, it was worth it.

Winning is always more important than the future, because the future is usually built on the “now.”

Many young teams know the struggles that are faced with young players and potential. They always have them, but they rarely hold on to them throughout their prime. Along with that, no established vet wants to join a team with potential over the chance to be a part of a championship contender. There is a reason why Antoine Walker, James Posey, and Gary Payton wore Miami jerseys last year; there is a reason Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined the Lakers in 2003-04; and there is a reason why the Celtics can be surer of their future now than they were before giving away their youngsters.

By trading away their future, the Celtics not only established themselves as a contender now, but they also put themselves in a better position to win for years to come. With Garnett, Pierce, and Allen on the same team for years to come, barring injuries or trades, this team has the ability to beat anybody in the league at any given time — something that the Celtics haven’t been able to say for years.

The only way things can turn sour again in Beantown is if Danny Ainge magically morphs back into, well, Danny Ainge and messes things up again. For now, however, Celtic fans should be ecstatic about the possibilities surrounding this team and their future.

—–Originally Published at Sports-Central.org—–

Mock NBA Draft

Well, it’s that time of the year again. Everybody who’s a nobody goes out and tries to act like an NBA scout by predicting the NBA draft.

The fact is that we, as fans, often do have as good of a guess as to who’s going to be successful as anybody else does, because the future is always uncertain. Sam Bowie was taken before Michael Jordan because even M.J. wasn’t a sure-shot No. 1. Nobody is.

I’ve often felt that I am quite knowledgeable around picks — seeing Darko Milicic and Rafael Araujo as the busts they were while seeing Amare Stoudemire and Marcus Williams as pure steals (the latter still has to pan out). However, with mock drafts, it really doesn’t matter how well one can foresee talent. All that matters is whether I can guess the thoughts of each GM, some having logical patterns, while others are simply crazy.

Therefore, this mock draft is as big of a crapshoot as any other, but I’m going forward with it nonetheless.

Here is my first round mock NBA draft (I would do a second round, but I’m sure I’ve made enough mistakes as it is):

1. Portland – Greg Oden (7’0″ C – Ohio State)
He’s the league-wide favorite to be taken number one and GM Kevin Pritchard isn’t about to take a risk on anything else. If he takes Oden and it doesn’t work out: everybody was wrong. If he passes on Oden and he turns into the best center in the league: only he was wrong.

2. Seattle – Kevin Durant (6’10” SF – Texas)
In my opinion, Durant is the best player in the draft and Seattle strikes it just as rich as or richer than Portland. They get the player they want without having the pressure of picking the wrong guy.

3. Atlanta – Brandan Wright (6’10” PF – North Carolina)
The Hawks need a lot of things and there are a lot of things available. It’s “too early” to pick Mike Conley and the Hawks really should fill a big-man position first and get the guard at 11. The only problem is that there is probably no chance Conley slides to 11, since everybody knows the Hawks would take him there or be willing to trade up a couple spots to secure him.

Nonetheless, I think the Hawks should take Brandan Wright from North Carolina. Al Horford is more ready, but that doesn’t matter — the Hawks aren’t “ready” to contend, so there is no hurry. Wright has a higher ceiling, is more athletic, and would make the Hawks a dangerous run-and-gun (or run-and-dunk) team. Well, maybe not dangerous, but they’d still be fun to watch.

4. Memphis – Al Horford (6’10” PF – Florida)
While Joakim Noah would certainly make sense, I’ve got a feeling the Grizzlies won’t be able to pass on Al Horford. They need another big man to relieve the pressure off of Gasol and the big Floridian (as opposed to the skinny one) would give them the body they need.

5. Boston – Yi Jianlian (7’0″ PF – China)
They will try their best to trade this pick and get Garnett. However, assuming that doesn’t happen — they’ll be happy to settle for Yi Jianlian, who not only helps them out significantly on the court, but also in jersey sales (thanks to the Chinese market). True story: I saw a Team China Jianlian jersey at a Footlocker … in Alberta, Canada. Okay, to help explain why this is so crazy, I have to add in the fact that you can barely even find LeBron jersey’s in Alberta.

6. Milwaukee – Mike Conley, Jr. (6’1″ PG – Ohio State)
This pick could go two ways: either they take Mike Conley depending on the free agent situation with Mo Williams or they pick Corey Brewer to add depth to an awkward small forward position (with Bobby Simmons and Ruben Patterson). I’ll go with Mike Conley and the hope that Simmons is healthy.

7. Minnesota – Corey Brewer (6’8″ SF – Florida)
The T-Wolves should be ecstatic if Corey Brewer falls this far. So ecstatic that there would simply be no way they would pass on him. They’ve needed someone to add significant scoring alongside Garnett for quite a while. Sure, they’ve got Ricky Davis, but that might be more of a problem than a commodity.

8. Charlotte – Joakim Noah (6’11” PF – Florida)
Noah may not fall this far based on late reactions derived from older performances. Based on this year, he really doesn’t deserve to go top-10, but he will. The Bobcats need a versatile player like Noah and they likely won’t let him fall beyond eight.

9. Chicago – Jeff Green (6’9″ SF – Georgetown)
While Chicago is already doing fine at small forward, they tend to stockpile depth anyways. Jeff Green is arguably the best player available here and is versatile enough to get playing time somewhere or another.

10. Sacramento – Spencer Hawes (7’0″ C – Washington)
Whatever happened to Sacramento? Petrie may turn towards a young player to build the team around for the future, but I’d say he’d rather go for current need. They need a big man to back up Miller and grab boards. Hawes is the answer.

11. Atlanta – Acie Law (6’3″ PG – Texas A&M)
The Hawks need a point-guard and Javaris Crittenton, though tempting, isn’t the one they end up going with.

12. Philadelphia – Nick Young (6’6″ SG – USC)
This USC product is enough of a reason to pass on filling their PF needs. Young will give them a legitimate two-guard who can excite. They can pick up a big man at 21 if they want.

13. New Orleans – Rodney Stuckney (6’5″ SG – E. Wash)
The Hornets don’t get the guy they want in Nick Young, but Stuckney still fits the bill as a guy who can produce as a shooting guard.

14. LA Clippers – Javaris Crittenton (6’4″ PG – G-Tech)
With Shaun Livingston on the shelf, the Clips are in need of a point guard.

15. Detroit – Julian Wright (6’8″ SF – Kansas)
With Chris Webber being injury prone and Rasheed Wallace being technical-foul prone, Julian Wright would be a solid addition to the Pistons’ front court.

16. Washington – Al Thornton (6’7″ F – Florida State)
Washington has holes. Regardless of where they are, they can’t afford to pass on the best player available.

17. New Jersey – Jason Smith (7’0″ C – Colorado St.)
The Nets could use another big man. Jason Smith provides a big body that can run the court well and would add a lot to the post for a team that has nearly no inside presence.

18. Golden State – Petteri Koponen (6’4″ PG – Finland)
The Warriors make a big splash by taking this recently hyped floor-leader from Finland. While he isn’t the most NBA ready player available, he does provide depth for a position in need (with B-Diddy’s injury history).

19. L.A. Lakers – Josh McRoberts (6’10” PF – Duke)
Most believe the Lakers are going to go for a big man. With Jason Smith gone, McRoberts is the likely candidate.

20. Miami – Thaddeus Young (6’7″ SF – G-Tech)
The Heat could use a SF with James Posey being a FA. And even with Posey, it’s arguably their weakest position. With that said, either Derrick Byars or Thaddeus Young will be snagged here. I’m going with the more athletic Young.

21. Philadelphia – Derrick Byars (6’7″ SG/SF – Vanderbilt)
By taking Nick Young earlier, the 76ers pressured themselves to use this pick on a big man. With Smith and McRoberts off the board the pick ends up being between Tiago Splitter, Sean Williams, and Marc Gasol. With nine picks to go until they choose again, the 76ers take a risk in believing that one of these players will still be around at 30.

22. Charlotte – Tiago Splitter (6’11” PF – Brazil)
Splitter may not come into the NBA right way, but that’s okay with Charlotte. They’ve already got the guy they need for this year earlier on in the draft. Splitter makes the future a safer place for this organization.

23. New York – Glen Davis (6’8″ PF – LSU)
I put a bunch of names in a hat, and out came Big Baby’s name. Isiah Thomas is probably the most unpredictable person to draft for and I believe that this system is as accurate as any other.

24. Phoenix – Marco Belinelli (6’6″ SG – Italy)
I saw somebody else put this in their mock draft and it made perfect sense. He’s a great shooter with a quick release — the perfect player for the Phoenix system. Not to mention he’s Italian (Coach Mike D’Antoni played ball in Italy).

25. Utah – Morris Almond (6’6″ SG – Rice)
While the Jazz had a great year, they sure could have used some scoring against the Spurs. Almond averaged 26.4 ppg in college while shooting over 45% from behind the arc. If he can pull down 15 rebounds a game as well they might actually be able to contend with the Spurs.

26. Houston – Sean Williams (6’10” PF – Boston College)
The Rockets are in need of a big man after trading Juwan Howard for Mike James last week. Dikembo Mutombo is aging, Yao is injury-prone, and Chuck Hayes isn’t enough to not need a big man with this pick.

27. Detroit – Aaron Brooks (5’11” PG – Oregon)
They need a backup point guard for Billups. There are a few options out there, but the way this kid shoots the ball is awfully attractive to the Pistons.

28. San Antonio – Rudy Fernandez (6’6″ SG – Spain)
Fernandez is a lottery-talent player who I see falling quite a bit. The great thing about drafting late in the first round is that there are always a few players you had in mind still available. With San Antonio aging, Fernandez brings in some young talent that can play a role on the team almost immediately.

29. Phoenix – Gabe Pruitt (6’4″ PG – USC)
Marcus Banks didn’t work out as a backup. Pruitt, or whatever point guard they select here, will hopefully mold into the player that can carry over for Nash down the road.

30. Philadelphia – Marc Gasol (7’1″ C – Spain)
Finally, the 76ers get a big man to provide some sort of hope for the future. Gasol has upside, but is a definite work-in-progress.

—–Originally Published at Sports-Central.org—–

NBA Playoffs: First Round Predictions

The NBA playoffs begin on Saturday with several marquee matchups: Don Nelson and his Warriors are squaring off with his old squad, the Mavericks; Vince Carter is going up against the team he practically built, the Toronto Raptors; and the Lakers enter into a rematch of last year’s thrilling series against Suns.

While the NBA playoffs are, indeed, considered much more predictable than the NHL; I have decided to measure my well-researched and somewhat opinionated predictions against those of a mindless 2001 Canadian quarter. I do, agreeably, take risks with a few of my picks, but I’m hoping that I can still come up on top against the heads or tails approach.

Note:the higher seed was always “heads” and the lower seed was always “tails.” The coin was flipped until one side achieved a total of four wins — each win counting as one symbolic and predictive win for the team it represented.

Eastern Conference
(1) Detroit vs. (8) Orlando
This is a David and Goliath battle that David won’t win. The Pistons are simply too good and too experienced to not dominate the Orlando Magic.

A minor subplot might be the fact that Grant Hill is going up against his former team; you know, the one that he could actually put up 20 ppg for while also playing more than 70 games a season. However, this plot and story will end rather quickly as Orlando’s inexperience will shine through.

The Pistons were able to sweep the season series 4-0; and should do so in this series in an even more convincing manner. The Pistons are quite simply favored in nearly every position on the court, with the possible exception of youngster Dwight Howard. Howard will do his best He-man impersonation, but will be thoroughly harassed by Rasheed Wallace all series long. He’ll probably even be able to put up good numbers against Detroit, but it still doesn’t matter. They still won’t come close in this series.
Chad says: Detroit in 4.
Coin says: Detroit in 5.

(2) Cleveland vs. (7) Washington
In last year’s first round matchup, the Cavaliers were able to beat the Wizards in six games. That was with Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler.

This year, the Wizards are literally limping their way into the playoffs and will be literally limping out almost as fast. Antawn Jamison has to absolutely dominate if his team wants a chance at taking the series to the length it went last year.

LeBron James will be looking to build on his resume and the Cavaliers will be looking to do a bit more damage this year than they did in the 2006 playoffs, where they came up 18 points short in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals against the Detroit Pistons.

This year, the Cavaliers will have lots of time to prepare for that second round and the Wizards will have lots of time to heal.
Chad says: Cleveland in 5.
Coin says: Cleveland in 6.

(3) Toronto vs. (6) New Jersey
The last time the Raptors made the playoffs, Vince Carter had knee pains that kept him out of their first round loss to the Pistons. This time, his knees are just fine, but he’s on the opposing bench looking to keep the Raptors out of the second round again.

Christ Bosh and the reconstructed Raptors have put together a remarkable season, putting together the most improved record and winning their division title under the guidance of Bryan Colangelo. The Raptors, however, received late-season scares with a season-ending injury to Jorge Garbajosa and appendix surgery for Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani, however, returned in the final game of the season, putting up 17 points in 27 minutes and declaring himself ready for the playoffs. The Raptors will be relying on the rookie to keep the pressure off of Bosh. They’ll need multiple scoring options if they are going to dismantle the Nets.

The Nets are led in scoring by Carter, but have Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd providing experienced scoring options to help balance their attack. Carter, though, will be looking to be the main man most of the way as he makes it his personal mission to beat his former team. If Carter hogs the ball, the Nets will fall. If they spread the ball around, however, they have a good chance of taking the series. At least that’s what the coin thinks.
Chad says: Toronto in 6.
Coin says: New Jersey in 7.

(4) Miami vs. (5) Chicago
Miami might be the higher seed, but the Bulls have the home-court advantage.

Chicago will be looking for revenge after falling to the eventual champs in six games last year. This year, however, the Bulls find themselves much more ready for the task. The offseason signing of Ben Wallace was meant to help the Bulls beat Shaq and the Heat; and beat them they have. The Bulls have taken three of four games during the season, but one must remember that the playoffs is a completely different beast. Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Ben Gordon will have to provide much of the scoring punch for these Bulls; and they’ll have to figure out a way to stop Dwyane Wade, a threat that caused many problems in the series last year.

Wade, however, doesn’t seem ready to pose as many problems for the Bulls this time around. Coming off a serious shoulder injury, Wade has only been able to put up 14.6 ppg in the five games since his return. It’s hard, however, to measure the will of a champion; and these Heat are the reigning champions of the NBA. Don’t expect them to go down without a fight, but expect them to go down nonetheless.
Chad says: Chicago in 7.
Coin says: Chicago in 6.

Western Conference
(1) Dallas vs. (8) Golden State
The Mavericks have put up one of the greatest regular-season records in NBA history, winning 65 of their 82 games. They could have had 68, however, if they knew how to beat the Golden State Warriors.

The Mavericks are led by MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki and his experienced sidekicks: Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Jerry Stackhouse. These (almost) same Mavericks have proven that they can dominate in the playoffs by sweeping Memphis, knocking down the Spurs in seven, and pushing through the Suns in six last year. They came up short against the Heat, however, when it mattered most. This year Cuban will be expecting even more, and more he will get.

More competition, that is.

If the Mavericks are the Superman of the Western Conference, then the Golden State Warriors can be labeled as Kryptonite.

The Warriors have won all three games against the Mavericks this season: a three-point victory in Dallas and two blowout wins at home (one coming while the Mavericks rested their starters). They also took three of four last against the Mavs last season, without the genius of Don Nelson behind the bench. If anybody knows how to solve Dallas, it is Nelson, the man who practically invented the Mavericks success. Baron Davis and Jason Richardson will be relied on heavily. Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, and Al Harrington will also need to step up, however, if the Warriors want a chance to pull off the first-round shocker. I think they will.
Chad says: Golden State in 6.
Coin says: Golden State in 6.

(2) Phoenix vs. (7) L.A. Lakers
Last year, the Lakers gave the Suns quite a scare, going up 3-1 in the first round series before eventually folding to Steve Nash and company in seven. This year, they’ll also have to deal with Amare Stoudemire, as well.

The Lakers were led, as always, by the all-around efforts of Kobe Bryant. Bryant accomplished one of the most amazing feats in NBA history by scoring at least 50 points in four straight games (225 combined). He does have a decent supporting cast of Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and the promising Andrew Bynum. However, everybody knows that Kobe is the only factor that matters for the Lakers’ success.

The strange thing, however, is that the Lakers’ only win against the Suns this season came with Bryant nursing a knee injury.

The Suns have dominated the season series with Kobe in the lineup, winning all three games by an average of seven points per contest. They, of course, are led by two-time MVP Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and the ever difficult defense of Raja Bell. Leandro Barbosa also stepped up his game this season, chipping in 18.1 ppg.

The Lakers will fight, much like they did last year, but the Suns will prevail.
Chad says: Phoenix in 6
Coin says: Phoenix in 4

(3) San Antonio vs. (6) Denver
When the Nuggets traded for Allen Iverson, they were thinking about success. The Spurs, however, didn’t need to make any changes to an already proven core.

Last year, Carmelo was unable to lead the Nuggets through the first round matchup against the L.A. Clippers. This year, he faces a much more difficult task, the San Antonio Spurs, but he has the help of Allen Iverson. Since becoming a Nugget, Iverson has had to adapt his game to suit the Nuggets needs. Many see a potential alpha-dog struggle between ‘Melo and Iverson as unavoidable, I see it as acceptable. When the game is on the line, who do you guard? Carmelo is one of the most proven clutch scorers in the game while Allen Iverson is one of the most dominant scorers, period. The only difficulty for the Nuggets, however, will be getting the “game on the line” against these Spurs.

The Spurs won the season series 2-1, with the only loss coming in a meaningless battle of the reserves on the final day of the NBA season. In their previous meeting, they were able to hold A.I. to 9 points and ‘Melo a mere 15 and in the game before that they held off the valiant 33-point effort by Iverson to still win 92-83 (though Anthony was not in the lineup). The Spurs, to say the least, are playoff proven.

San Antonio has won the NBA championship three times since 1999 (1999, 2003, 2005) and since then, only one series was lost to a non-eventual Western Conference champ (2000). Because of their experience, they will be able to overcome the Nuggets, albeit in a very difficult series.
Chad says: San Antonio in 6.
Coin says: Denver in 5.

(4) Utah vs. (5) Houston
The last time the Utah Jazz had such a high seed for the playoffs, they were led by John Stockton and the Mailman, Karl Malone (2001). This time, however, they’ll be looking for the combo of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer to deliver.

The Utah Jazz are coming off their best season in recent years and have plenty of hope for the playoffs. Boozer emerged as a dominant force in the Western Conference, while Mehmet Okur has been able to hold his own down low, as well (17.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg). The Jazz won 51 games without much contribution from marquee player, Andrei Kirilenko. They’ll need Kirilenko to step up, however, if they are going to be able to stop T-Mac and the Rockets.

Utah has the higher seed and won the season series 3-1, but the Houston Rockets were able to pull off home-court advantage.

With 52 wins, the Houston Rockets were able to put together their best season since drafting Yao Ming in 2002. Either Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady could have emerged as MVP candidates if it weren’t for injuries. Yao averaged 25 ppg, 9. 4rpg, and 2 blocks over 48 games. Tracy McGrady, however, was the bigger contributor to the Rockets season, averaging 24.6 ppg, 6.5 apg, and 5.3 rpg, while carrying the Rockets on his back (which is susceptible to injury) with Yao out of the lineup.

With both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming healthy, the Utah Jazz have their work cut out for them. They will fight hard, but come up short in the closest series of the first round.
Chad says: Houston in 7.
Coin says: Houston in 7.

—This article was originally published at Sports Central on April 20, 2007—

NHL Playoffs: First Round Predictions

The Carolina Hurricane have joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in the “champ to chump” category, winning the Stanley Cup last season while failing to even make the playoffs this year. Because of this, and the fact that the NHL playoffs are arguably the least predictable playoff in professional sports, the race to the cup will be a wide-open battle between 16 teams who refuse to go gently into the good summer.

As recent years have shown us, the NHL playoffs really are “anybody’s game.” The seventh-seeded Calgary Flames made a run to the finals two seasons ago and last year the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers pushed the Hurricane to the brink.

While my predictions are just that, “predictions,” they do take into account the head-to-head success rates of the teams during the regular season, team playoff experience, goalie readiness, and numerous other factors that will contribute to the success of any given club. While all these are important factors in determining a winner, nothing guarantees success in the grueling NHL playoffs.

After a long season filled with ups and downs, we can finally buckle up for the most exciting time of the year, the Stanley Cup playoffs. Get ready, hockey fans, because we’re in for a wild ride…

Eastern Conference

Buffalo (1) vs. New York Islanders (8)

In one of the wildest games of the year, because of what was at stake and who they were playing against, the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off a 6-5 victory by knocking off their biggest rivals, the Montreal Canadiens. If the Habs had won, then both the Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders would have been eliminated, but they never.

The Habs loss provided a sense of hope for the surprise contenders from New York. All they needed was a win in New Jersey and they’d be guaranteed the eight seed. The Devils, however, had won the six previous games between these division rivals, though they never provided Toronto with any favors by resting Martin Brodeur in the make-or-break game for the Islanders.

Led by Wade Dubielewicz, the young AHL call-up goaltender who has been filling in valiantly for starter Rick DiPietro, the Islanders pulled off a 3-2 shootout victory against the Devils after allowing the Devils to tie the game with one second remaining in the third. If the Islanders didn’t win they would have been sent home, but Dubielewicz stepped up big with a poke-check on Sergei Brylin, New Jersey’s final shooter, to save the game and the season.

Dubielewicz won four of the five games he started and posted an incredible .929 SV% along that stretch while consistently coming up big when it mattered the most. Although he almost gave the season away with the late goal to the Devils, he more than redeemed himself in the shootout. The uncertainty remains for the Islanders heading into the playoffs, however, on whether DiPietro will be back in time or whether “Dubie” will continue to lead the team as he did in the final week of the season.

Whoever is in net, however, won’t have an easy time against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres won the season series against the Islanders 3-1 and will be backstopped by Ryan Miller who led the team to the Eastern Conference finals last year.

Buffalo was the only team all season to score more than 300 goals and have been able to produce regardless of the many injuries that have plagued the team all season. The team is healthy, however, entering into the first round series with the Islanders and will be an overwhelming squad for the Islanders to try and defend. All-Star Game MVP Daniel Brier leads the way with plenty of support from others. Maxim Afinogenov, Christ Drury, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, and Derek Roy will all continue to provide difficulties for their opponents as they have done all season long.

Brian Campbell and the rest of the Sabres defense will have their hands full with Alexei Yashin, Ryan Smyth, and Miroslav Satan. However, they’ll be able to contain them more effectively than the Islanders will be able to contain the season’s top squad.

The Sabres will prove to be too much for the Islanders: Buffalo wins in five.

New Jersey (2) vs. Tampa Bay (7)

The Tampa Bay Lightning have had the Devils’ number all year and now they get the chance to play them in the playoffs, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

While the Lightning took the season series three games to one, they must also realize that Martin Brodeur is a goalie that was built for the playoffs. Brodeur has been put in numerous pressure situations and it seems as though he has always been able to live up to expectations. He has won three Stanley Cups and dominated playoff competition in his career, while also posting a successful win-loss record against the Lightning in overall competition (24 wins, 13 losses, 5 ties, and 2 OT losses).

The Lightning will need its goaltending (Holmqvist/Denis) to be consistent if they want a chance at an upset. Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Ruslan Fedotenko will be pressured to carry the load for Tampa Bay and if they are unable to do so it will lead to a quick first round exit for the Bolts.

This series is a classic matchup of a premier offensive team going up against a premier defensive team and because of the fact that defense tends to overcome in the playoffs, I’m giving the edge to the Devils.

Brodeur shuts down Tampa’s offense and New Jersey wins in 6.

Atlanta (3) vs. New York Rangers (6)

The New York Rangers couldn’t be happier.

What could have been a first-round matchup against the New Jersey Devils turned out being a series with the Atlanta Thrashers. No offense to Atlanta, but they simply aren’t as intimidating as the Devils come playoff time.

The Thrashers offense, led by Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk, carried them to the South East division throne and into the playoffs for the first time since Atlanta was awarded a franchise in 1997. Kari Lehtonen has had a solid season and helped Atlanta take the season series with the Rangers 3-1.

The Rangers, however, have peaked at just the right time. They are 13-3-4 over their last 20 games and Lundqvist is 8-1-1 in the last 10 games that he has started. Jaromir Jagr, meanwhile, has tallied 9 points over the final five games of the season and the Rangers, unlike last year, seem to be healthy and ready to do some damage.

While this series could easily go either way…

… I’m going with the red-hot Rangers: New York in 6.

Ottawa (4) vs. Pittsburgh (5)

The Penguins were able to win the season series 3-1, with two shootout victories. The question is not on how well they performed in the season, however, but whether or not their lack of playoff experience will be costly.

Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh teammates hope to follow the example set by a young Edmonton team in the 1980’s. Crosby has been compared to Wayne Gretzky his whole career and he, after his second NHL season, finally has the chance to show what he’s worth in the playoffs.

And he’ll have lots of help. With Crosby leading the way many tend to forget the rest of the young talent on this Penguins roster. Evgeni Malkin is having a fantastic rookie year and is often said to be the Pens player that is most reminiscent of Mario Lemieux. Jordan Staal and Ryan Malone have also chipped in nicely offensively while the defense is led by young Ryan Whitney and veteran Sergei Gonchar. 22-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury will be between the pipes for his inaugural playoff series and will be looking to do his best against the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators, though tied at 105 points with the Penguins, earn home-ice advantage because of the fact that they won one more game than their first-round opponent.

Many boast of the fact that the Penguins have the third best offensive team in the NHL, however, the Senators have a potent offense of their own — second in the league — with 11 goals more than the Pens over the duration of the season.

The pressure is on the experienced and favored Senators, who are entering their 10th straight playoff appearance. Ray Emery is 5-5 in the NHL playoffs and will be counted on to stop the mighty Pens attack. In an offensive matchup, everything will come down to goaltending.

And I believe Marc-Andre Fleury will prove the difference: Pittsburgh in 7.

Western Conference

Detroit (1) vs. Calgary (8)

The Western Conference champions have been here many times before. This year however, they are geared up for it better than before.

The Wings brought in power forward Todd Bertuzzi to help an already dominating club. Henrik Zetterberg should be healthy for the playoffs and Pavel Datsyuk has been ever so consistent this season. Nicklas Lidstrom will be given the difficult task of shutting down Jarome Iginla, while Dominik Hasek will have to play up to his résumé. The last time Hasek was in the playoffs, 2002, he helped the Red Wings walk away with the Cup.

Last year, the Red Wings lost out to a hot goalie in Dwyane Roloson and this year they are going to face an even more difficult task: getting the puck past Miikka Kiprusoff. Kipper has willed the Flames into the playoffs for the third consecutive season after posting 40 wins with one game remaining.

If the Flames want a chance, they’ll need a physical edge on the Wings. Dion Phaneuf will be counted on to make a major impact. Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay will need help from Tony Amonte and the second line if they are going to have any offensive pressure at all.

Even if they do, however, I simply don’t think it will be enough. The Flames are the worst road team in the 2007 playoffs and they’ll have to face a sold out Hockeytown.

The Flames fizzle much like they have in the last week: Detroit in 5.

Anaheim (2) vs. Minnesota (7)

The Minnesota Wild won their final three games of the season and are hoping to carry this momentum into Anaheim as they begin their playoff series.

These two teams haven’t squared off in 2007, but now they will have all their focus on each other in this battle for who will enter into the second round and who will watch the rest of the playoff race from home.

The Anaheim Ducks are led by their dynamic defensive duo of Scott Neidermayer and Chris Pronger. JS Giguere has had a very solid season between the pipes, despite only playing 56 games, and will look to have another dominating playoff performance like the one he had in 2003. Teemu Selanne will be leading the Ducks’ offensive attack, helped in large by Andy McDonald and youngster Ryan Getzlaf.

The Wild may be the hotter team of late, but they remain the underdogs in this series. The thought across the league is that Niklas Backstrom will have to play like a brick wall in order for Minnesota to stand a chance.

Marian Gaborik has been playing extremely well over the last month and will look to Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra for support. If the Wild offense can get going, they may make this a very interesting series. However, it hurts Minnesota to know that there are no shootouts in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Ducks overwhelm the surging Wild: Anaheim in 6.

Vancouver (3) vs. Dallas (6)

Roberto Luongo has been waiting six years and finally he will get his chance.

The Canucks goalie and candidate for the Vezina Trophy has always been known as the best goalie to never make the playoffs. Now he’ll be given an opportunity to make a name for himself where it matters most.

Marty Turco, on the other hand, has been given plenty of playoff chances, only to dash them away along with the hopes of Stars fans three years in a row. Turco’s playoff record stands at 8 wins and 14 losses with his only playoff series win coming against the Edmonton Oilers in 2003.

The Canucks will be led by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Swedish twins who have greatly improved their game over the last few years. Markus Naslund, playing most of the time on the second line, will have to step up in order for the Canucks to have a deeper arsenal in order to take the pressure off of the twins.

Two of the top three offensive producers on the Dallas roster are defensemen, and this could cause difficulties for the Stars come playoff time. Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher will be counted on for both defensive pressure and offensive attacks, an overwhelming role for two players to burden.

During the regular season these teams split the season series two games each, with the home team prevailing 2-1 in all four events. Both teams will continue to struggle with scoring, but Vancouver has home-ice advantage…

… and Luongo will step up in a big way: Vancouver in 6.

Nashville (4) vs. San Jose (5)

Last year, San Jose disposed easily of the Nashville Predators in the first round, winning the series in five games. This year, however, the Predators are looking for revenge.

Nashville has put together their best season ever, since entering the league in the 1998-99 season. However, they have struggled with injuries and mediocre play of late, going 2-3 over the last five and 5-7 over their final twelve.

San Jose, on the other hand, has won five of their final six games with their only loss coming in Saturday night’s overtime battle with the Canucks.

Joe Thornton has put together another dominant season, tallying 114 points, while Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo, and Milan Michalek add to the offensive powers for the Sharks.

Evgeni Nabakov will be square off in goal against Tomas Vokoun with both teams having solid backup options if anything is to happen to their starters. Vesa Toskala and Chris Mason have each combine for only two less wins over the duration of the season than the starters in this series.

Both teams are extremely fast and very skilled. Peter Forsberg, a late season acquisition for the Predators, will be looking to be the difference maker.

However, the Sharks size will overcome: San Jose in 7.

—This article was originally published at Sports Central on April 9, 2007—

Progression of Sports at CUC

Canadian University College currently fields a number of extramural sports teams in a variety of leagues. With four teams, CUC is as athletically active as I, a fourth-year student, can remember. We are represented in men’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. However, things haven’t always been like this at CUC. In fact, it wasn’t until 1982, seventy-five years into the existence of the college, that CUC even had an extramural team.

They were known as the “Hilltop Angels,” a very ironic name for the dirty manner of hockey that they played while they participated in a local men’s league.

The Hilltop Angels were organized by a group of dorm students and had relative success in their first year of existence, thanks to the supervision of the dormitory dean.

In their second year, however, they no longer had someone looking over their shoulders. The dean was too busy taking care of school issues and the rest of the faculty decided that the players would be able to figure things out for themselves.

The students, however, were unable to represent CUC in a way that uplifted the college.

What was once, only a year earlier, a highly competitive team that the school could be proud of was now a disrespectful team with its own prerogative.

Ron Schafer, a young faculty member at the time played goal for the team. Only three games into the second season he quit because of the way things were being run. “It was humiliating,” Schaefer told me in a recent interview, “it was embarrassing and it was wrong the way the game was being played.”

The dorm team allowed a number of alumni players to participate on the squad for added depth and grit. Many on the team wanted to shed the “soft” Christian image rather than choosing to set a good example with sportsmanship and excellence. “They wanted to prove how dirty they could be,” Schafer said, “and to make a long story short – our team was kicked out of the league before the second season was finished.”

It took 75 years to field that first team; with all the efforts that were put into allowing students represent CUC in athletic competition it was a major letdown to have the Hilltop Angels go out like that.

However, even though the team will go down as the most infamous CUC has ever had, it was still a team. It meant that the acceptance of sports was becoming more evident than ever before.

It meant that progress was being made.

Mr. Schafer, now the head of the athletic department at CUC, said that when he arrived at this school to teach “the sports environment was zero.” There was nothing in place for extramural activities. There was a fear that the competition would bring out the worst in the students; and in the case of the Hilltop Angels, it did.

But Schafer made it his personal goal to get something going. “I wanted everything to happen overnight…but over time I realized that gradual change is much better.” Slower change is better, he explained, because it gives people a chance to adapt and figure out how to do things properly.

CUC had to figure out how to do things better. The Hilltop Angels were a failure and if they were going to have extramural sports at CUC then something had to change. “At least if we play right and fairly,” Schafer stated, “we [could] be a witness by the way we play.” The purpose of sports is not necessarily to win or lose. Of course the idea is to come out on top, but it would be better to lose with good sportsmanship than to win with a poor attitude.

The attitude needed to change.

Competitive sports shows what people are really made of, which was always one of the fears within Adventist circles. The whole idea of somebody getting angry over a game never seemed to bode well with constituency.

Schafer had another view on the matter.

“In my opinion,” Schafer said, “if you can’t take second place, then it is better to discover it in basketball than in a job or business or relationship.”

Schafer came to CUC with the goal in mind to get something going. It wasn’t an easy goal coming off of the escapades of the Hilltop Angels, but it was his goal nonetheless. Many would have stepped aside and allowed administration to do what administration does, but Schafer wanted more. He wanted a chance to show people how to do it correctly.

As people’s minds opened up towards giving sports a second chance at CUC, Schafer realized that there were other issues to deal with as well.

For things to be done right at CUC it is much more difficult than what it would be at most other schools.

The problems that our school faced and continues to face all boils down to one thing: a lack of student population. Sure, there are other problems. There is a lack of funding and a lack of dedicated coaches. There is also our religious affiliation that allows us a day rest away from the competition of this world.

I prefer not to refer to the latter as a “problem” but it is an obstacle when it comes to participating in extramural sports. It can, however, be dealt with rather easily.

A good reputation goes a long way towards removing the Sabbath obstacle and allowing us to excel in any kind of competition. “If we had a good quality program and product,” Schafer said, “these leagues would allow us in there and adjust for it.”

Still, CUC is left with a Catch 22 situation. We need more student population to fund more sports, but we also need more sports to obtain a larger student population.

The question remains: how does CUC dedicate itself towards a basketball program, hockey program, soccer program, or volleyball program without knowing if there will be enough athletes to make it worthwhile?

It can’t.

Last year we had a highly successful hockey team. This year we don’t have one at all. Last year we had no men’s soccer or basketball teams. This year we have both. There is such a variety of students coming in and going out that is hard to anticipate which sport to support.

“The statistics show that on any given population,” Schafer said, “only 10 percent are serious athletes.” At CUC that would give us forty athletes; a number that doesn’t go very far.

Schafer does, however, believe that this problem can be solved. “If kids know there will be a program they will be more likely to come.” By focussing on having a few stable programs rather than several shaky ones, CUC could give more students a reason to come. As it stands now, they cannot recruit players for any one sport due to the fact that it might not even exist the following year.

And then there’s the small problem regarding money.

CUC has a very limited budget set aside for athletics. The fact is, we cannot pay our coaches enough to make the position lucrative nor can we afford to allow any athletes to have significant scholarships. On top of that there are league fees, cost of travel, and many other expenses that turn up over the course of a year.

None of these expenses, however, can be used as an excuse to disregard sports at CUC. “It’s here to stay,” Schafer said. “We should get the resources and personnel to improve it constantly.”

Constant change has been happening and will continue to happen. Twenty-Five years ago nobody would have thought that CUC could have supported four sports teams like we do now. “The issue is no longer a right or wrong issue,” Schafer explained. Those issues have been dealt with. Now we have to deal with the issue of improving on the foundations that have been put in place.

“In ten years,” Schafer added, “I’d like to believe that we could have three or four teams that we can count on.”

If done right then sports could be a very good thing for CUC. However, if done wrong it could also be a very negative thing as we saw happen with the Hilltop Angels.

Let us move forward not backwards and make sports a reality at CUC for not only today, but also for tomorrow.

—Article to be published in the next Aurora Chronicles—

NBA Rookie Roundup

The NBA age restrictions have made it so that this year’s rookie class is more depleted than usual. Typically, high school players would have made the jump and added some major talent to the pool. This year’s class is the first and possibly even the only class to see the effects of the new rule. The added depth has been put on hold until next year; a year where the missing high-school players won’t be as noticeable due to the incoming stars that were held off from entering the NBA this season.

It has taken a while for the rookies to get going this year and no one player stands out among the crowd as being better than the rest. Many have called this year’s crop a bust, but I have more faith in these youngsters than that. I believe that many of them will turn into very solid contributors while a few even have all-star potential. Sure, this isn’t 1984 (Hakeem, MJ, Barkley, and Stockton), 2003 (Lebron, Melo, Bosh, and Wade), 1996 (Iverson, Camby, Ray Allen, Kobe, Peja, Nash, and Jermaine O’Neal), or even 2007 for that matter (Odom, Durant, and Joakim Noah); but that doesn’t mean that it’s an all out bust.

These guys can play and their impact will be evident for years to come. Without further adieu, here is my 2006-07 rookie roundup.

Top 10 Picks (as drafted into the league):
Andrea Bargnani (Italy – Toronto Raptors)
The “Italian Job” has brought it all to Toronto. It took him some time to get the feel for the North American game, but this youngster who once said it was easier to shoot threes than anything else (because it’s always the same distance) is now taking control for the surging Raptors.

It took him ten games to get his first double-digit scoring output of the season, but he’s stepped up ever since with consistent scoring and energy off the bench. In the last month he’s averaging 14.8ppg, 4.6rpg, and dropping 2.5 treys. MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki has stated that Bargnani is better than he was at twenty-one, but the young guy still has a long way to go. Nonetheless, the Raptors made the right choice on draft day and have a very formidable front for many years with Bosh and Bargs leading the way.

LaMarcus Aldridge (Texas – Portland Trailblazers)
It has taken the big man a while to get some time in the crowded Portland frontcourt, but it seems like he is finally getting his chance due to injuries which are depleting the roster. Przybilla was lost for the season due to a knee injury and LaFrentz is out with a strained left calf. That leaves Jamaal Magloire as Aldridge’s lone competition and coach Nate McMillan has said that he’s sticking with the rookie for now.

Since grabbing the starting center spot at the beginning of March, Aldridge has gone for 30 points on 12 of 19 shooting but then followed up that effort with 3 points on 1 for 12 shooting. He’ll need to prove himself to be a consistent contributor in order to hold on to his playing time. For now, I see him following very closely to the footsteps of sophomore Channing Frye, who has proven to be the most hopeless players with a lot of hope.

Adam Morrison (Gonzaga – Charlotte Bobcats)
Whoever compared the Sasquatch to Larry Bird has obviously never seen Larry Bird play. Morrison had an incredible college career, but he has simply been unable to carry this over to the NBA. Will he be a solid contributor? No doubt. Will he be a superstar? I doubt.

His talent is unquestionable, but his athleticism is the major problem. The NBA has eliminated the edge he had on his opponents in college due to taller, longer, and quicker defenders. Morrison has failed to adapt and will, in my mind, fail to become an all-star like many felt he was destined to become. In my opinion, the best case scenario for Ammo is for him to become a slightly more creative Kyle Korver.

Tyrus Thomas (LSU – Chicago Bulls)
This young stud from LSU is filled with potential. He’s a high-flyer who can execute on both ends of the court. His blocking ability is uncanny and he finds his way to the rim offensively as well. However, he needs to work on polishing up his moves in the post as well as adding to his range. In fact, the kid might as well change his name to Stromile Swift, because everything I’ve said so far is the exact same thing people said about the StroShow upon his entrance into the NBA. Need more proof of the similarities? Here’s a rookie season comparison of the two:

Stromile Swift (2000-01): 16 mpg, 45% FG, 60% FT, 4.9ppg, 3.6rpg, 0.4apg, 0.8 steals, 1 block, 0.8 TO.
Tyrus Thomas (2006-07): 11 mpg, 46% FG, 58% FT, 4.1ppg, 3.0rpg, 0.5apg, 0.6 steals, 1 block, 1.3 TO.

Shelden Williams (Duke – Atlanta Hawks)
Well, at least the Hawks didn’t mess up as bad this year as they did in the 2005 draft by passing on Chris Paul in favor of Marvin Williams. Shelden Williams has shown a lot of promise at moments when he’s had the opportunity to play (just look at his late-December numbers if you don’t believe me). However, his major problem is that he is lost in the depth-chart like many other rookies in the league.

With the Hawks wanting to play the upbeat style that is becoming the newest trend, Shelden Williams finds himself fighting for time behind the athletic duo of Josh Smith and Marvin Williams. It’s only a matter of time, however, until Shelden figures out his role on the team. I believe he has the ability to be a consistent contributor if given consistent minutes – and there’s no reason the Hawks can pass on that because it’s exactly what they need.

Brandon Roy (Washington – Portland Trailblazers)
Rookie of the Year is spelled ROY. Brandon Roy came into this season as the projected cream of the crop and he hasn’t disappointed. Sure, it is a bit easier to steal the award this year compared to usual; but Brandon Roy has been spectacular nonetheless. I don’t necessarily believe that he will be the best player from this group five years from now or even three, for that matter. But he is the leading candidate for the ROY honor at this moment.

He has been getting more minutes per game than any other candidate, thus vaulting his stats to higher levels than other rookies see possible. He leads the class with 15.5 PPG and adds to that a combined 8.1 assists and rebounds per contest. His percentages are highly respectable (45% FG and 83% FT) and he’s adding to that 1.2 steals per game. There’s no reason why Roy shouldn’t get the rookie of the year, although other rookies are getting chances later in the season with extra playing time that they never saw earlier in the year.

Randy Foye (Villanova – Minnesota Timberwolves)
When Kevin Garnett requests that the Timberwolves replace you with Troy Hudson for the starting guard position, you know you haven’t produced. Garnett has put up with many lacklustre starters alongside him in Minny: Michael Olowokandi, Marko Jaric, Eddie Griffin, and even Anthony Peeler (a man who would later elbow-punch Garnett in the face while playing for Sacramento).

Foye was supposed to be the T-Wolves second or third scoring option this season; he is currently fifth on the team with 9 PPG. He has all the potential in the world, which is why he went seventh overall in the draft. It’s just a matter of time until he puts his tools to use and gets that starting position back for good.

Rudy Gay (UConn – Memphis Grizzlies)
He is the most athletic player from the 2006-07 draft (other than James White) and has the ability to become a big time player in the future. He has a freakish 7’3” wingspan that has allowed him to combine for 1.8 steals and blocks per game.

Gay had a slow start to the season, which has held his shooting percentage to 42%, but he has improved of late. He has started the last twelve games for the Grizzlies and averaged 15.9 points, 6 rebounds, and just over a block per game. If he can improve on his shot selection, he has the potential to be “best in class” for a long time to come.

Patrick O’Bryant (Bradley – Golden State Warriors)
O’Bryant boosted his stock in the NCAA Tournament last year by outdueling Aaron Gray and carrying the Bradley Braves to the Sweet Sixteen. However, so far this season he has only seen action in 16 games for the Warriors while averaging less than eight minutes per contest. He has been sent down to the development league for extended periods of time and simply doesn’t seem to be capable of working himself into the Warriors rotation.

With Biedrins, Foyle, Harrington, and Powell ahead of him in the PF/C rotation, it doesn’t seem likely that O’Bryant will be seeing any significant playing time this year or next. But hey, who knows? It’s impossible to know what the guy is made of until he’s had his time to shine. For now, much like what happened at Bradley (which led to an eight game suspension), O’Bryant is simply getting paid for work that he’s not doing; and it is fine by him I’m sure.

Mouhamed Sene (Senegal – Seattle Supersonics)
Much like O’Bryant, Mouhamed Sene hasn’t played enough in the NBA to warrant much analysis. He has played in 19 games with less than six minutes per contest. He is said to be an amazing physical specimen with a 7’8” wingspan, but is also very raw on the offensive end of the court (partly because he only started playing basketball in 2003).

At only twenty years of age, Sene has a lot of time to develop himself into the type of player the Sonics plan on him becoming. Whether or not he was worth the 10th pick in the NBA draft is another question that is impossible to answer until we see what this man is made of.

Notes on the Rest:
The top ten typically contains most of the all-star potential. However, this year the draft is more evened out than usual. There will be many key contributors out of the remaining fifty picks (and undrafted rookies) that will have an impact for years to come.

Here are a few other names to keep in mind when considering whether or not this year’s draft class is a bust:

Kelenna Azubuike (G.S. – Undrafted) has raised eyebrows of late, putting up almost 10 points per game while filling in for the injury depleted Warriors. His stats will settle down as J-Rich and Baron Davis have returned, but he has proven himself capable of contributing in the future.

JJ Redick (Orl – 11th) was the player of the year in college. He has yet to make much of a contribution for the Magic and I doubt he ever will. He needs the perfect situation to contribute. Without a superstar scorer that can draw his defender away, Redick will always have difficulty making the contested shots.

Thabo Sefolosha (Chi – 13th) had a career game versus the Warriors on February 28 in which he put up 19 points. He was highly coveted by many during the draft and is expected to be around for years to come.

Ronnie Brewer (Utah – 14th) has been out shadowed by the Jazz’s second round stud, Paul Millsap (Utah – 47th), but he still should develop into a decent player. Brewer has allowed a starting spot slip through his fingers early on, but his potential is undeniable. Millsap, on the other hand, has fought for everything that has been given to him. He has earned his role on the rebuilt Utah roster and leads the rookies in both rebounds (5.2) and blocks (1.1) per game.

Rodney Carney (Phi – 16th) was just starting to find his spot with the 76ers before tearing his right rotator cuff (shoulder).

Renaldo Balkman (NY – 20th) is like any other switch on the Knicks roster. When Isiah Thomas flicks on his minutes he usually produces. When he flicks them off he can disappear for weeks at a time.

Rajon Rondo (Bos – 21st) is a lightning quick guard out of Kentucky that can do it all, except for hold on to the ball at times. If he can control his turnovers he has a very bright future in the league. The Celtics just need to figure out what they’re doing with the Telfair/West/Rondo logjam at point.

Marcus Williams (NJ – 22nd) is the future of New Jersey. That might be saying too much about a first year guard that has averaged 7.7 points and 3.1 assists so far, but the Nets said quite a bit when they considered trading Jason Kidd without getting another point guard in return.

Craig Smith (Min – 36th) is leading the rookies in FG% while also showing flashes of brilliance every once in a while. He’ll have trouble becoming much more than a solid contributor as he is undersized for his natural position (PF), but he has the offensive skills to go both ways in the post and the fight to overcome more skilled individuals.

James White (Drafted 31st by Indiana/Signed by San Antonio) is getting a mention here whether you like it or not. If you can show me a more creative and able dunker than this man then I’ll never mention him again.

Jorge Garbajosa (Tor – FA) is averaging 8.5 points and 5 rebounds a game while also heavily influencing the Raptors towards the winning ways that he was accustomed to in Europe. He is a proven winner on many levels, including the Olympics, and brings an understanding of the game that is very foreign to the rest of his rookie class.

— Article originally published on March 5 at Sports Central —

CUC Men’s Aurora – Soccer Update

If you haven’t been to a CUC Men’s Soccer game lately, now is the time to do so.

While other sports teams at our school are struggling for victories, the men’s soccer team is leading their league in wins while also providing highlight reel goals. With ten wins and only five losses, the Aurora have been lighting up the scoreboard on a regular basis with 51 goals to count, including a team-leading eight coming from Stefan Sremac.

“There’s been a lot of improvement from the beginning of the year,” Stefan said following a 5-0 win over the Urban Knights earlier this month, “all the lines are scoring quite a bit and the defensemen are really stepping up.”

The team has had key contributions made from each member of the roster. Kyle Kay has scored six goals; Ricardo Mena, Lindsey Nycholat, Brad Lalonde, Daniel Zepick, and Fred Onsoti each have five; Matt Giguerre has tallied three; Tyler Ferguson, Tim Werner, and Landon Blize each have a pair; and Anthony Eisses and Anthony DaRocha have each registered one.

This team, however, isn’t just about scoring goals.

Kirk Baker, the goaltender for the CUC Aurora, has let in a league low 30 goals. With acrobatic saves and steady focus, Kirk has also been able to accumulate three shutouts along the way.

While the goal scoring is a definite bonus for the Aurora; Kirk has been the backbone of the team. He tends to go unnoticed, but that is usually what you want from a goalie, a position that typically gets more blame than praise. “He makes tons of saves,” Fred said of his goalie, “he keeps his head in the game; even if he gets roughed up he stays focussed.”

“Focus” is a word that can be used to describe any one of these players.

While not everyone on the team has scored a goal; everyone has been a part of the march towards a larger goal: winning the Red Deer Men’s Indoor Tier 2 championship. A goal that, with this group of guys, is very achievable.

Note: A video clip has been put together by Danny McCreery from a 5-3 victory over the Urban Knights. The clip can be found here.

—This article is to be published in the March 2007 edition of The Aurora Chronicles—