So I had big plans to write a really detailed article
today. Then I did computer science
homework for ¼ of an eternity.
Here are some quick thoughts on the NFL and college basketball and then some recent sports trivia.
NFL
This just in, RGIII is really good. Well, not Andre Luck good, but maybe
Cam Newton good and probably better than Sam Bradford good. With the second pick in the draft, the
Rams are in a position that I fail to recall any other team having in recent
history. Assuming St. Louis
chooses to hold onto their rookie-of-the-year-turned-bottom-five-quarterback,
they will be in a position to offer 30 other teams in the league the rights to
a player who may be the number one overall pick in most other drafts. If you assume that Peyton Manning will
be a free agent as well, which is not
a given, the stage is set for a riveting pre-draft period.
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| RGIII's 4.41s-40 may have cemented him as the number 2 selection |
It’s pretty obvious which teams have a legitimate shot
and/or interest in making moves for either Griffin or Manning. The qualification: your quarterback
sucks. Here are three trades that make sense but
are probably way too much like a
Madden-franchise-mode-superstar-heavy-mega-trade to actually happen. What a pity.
Option 1
Washington is a pretty empty looking shell-of-a-team
nowadays, but there is no denying their talent at the linebacker position. Fletcher is a veteran but is on his way
out. Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan are
young stars on their way up.
Option 1 is a three-team deal that is largely dependent on Washington’s
recognition of this fact. With
four solid linebackers next season they would be in a position to have a
legitimate defensive unit and they’d also be doomsday prepping for the
departure of Fletcher.
The Browns, who may be in need of a quarterback more than
any other NFL team, have little to give away in terms of players and will
probably need to dish out several picks to join in on the sweepstakes. They have two first round picks (4,22)
to offer.
St. Louis is obviously the organization driving any trade
and will probably want to trade the second pick in the draft and only the
second pick in the draft. However,
the addition of a third team makes this a horse of a different color.
Official Trade
Redskins
--Give: First round pick, DeAngelo Hall
--Get: James Laurinaitis
Cleveland
--Give: First round pick, first round pick, second round
pick, third round pick
--Get: DeAngelo Hall, first round pick (STL)
St. Louis
--Give: First round pick, James Laurinaitis
--Get: First round pick (4 overall CLE), first round pick
(22 overall CLE), first round pick (WAS), third round pick (CLE)
Option 2
The Jets head into the offseason with a quarterback many
rightfully doubt. Maybe even
worse, they have a wide receiver they probably only re-signed to save face and
prove there is no locker room issue.
The major problem here is, of course, there is a locker room issue. This trade expels both these problems
for New York. If St. Louis is not
afraid of Holmes’ contract or personality, they could certainly agree to this. Additionally, NYJ linebacker, Bart Scott,
has been cleared to seek a trade and would pair well with Laurinaitis.
Official Trade
New York
--Give: First round pick, fourth round pick, Santonio
Holmes, Bart Scott
--Get: First round pick (STL)
St. Louis
--Give: First round pick
--Get: First round pick, fourth round pick, Santonio Holmes,
Bart Scott
Option 3
Probably the most unlikely and certainly the most extreme,
this trade would combine both Manning and RGIII in a sign and trade, multi-team scenario. Cut that meat!
Official Trade
St. Louis
--Give: Justin Blackmon (use their second overall pick)
--Get: First round pick (MIA), second round pick (MIA), third
round pick (IND), fourth round pick (IND), fourth round pick (MIA)
Indianapolis
--Give: Peyton Manning, third round pick, fourth round pick
--Get: Justin Blackmon
Miami
--Give: First round pick, second round pick, fourth round
pick,
--Get: Peyton Manning
College Basketball
As a Duke fan, I spent most of this year’s season convincing
myself that they lack a consistent playmaker (offensively or defensively), rely
too heavily on the three-ball, and have had far too many head-scratching
moments to be a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender. The nearly season-long top 5 ranking has been due to (A)
Duke bias, (B) Coach K (this one makes sense), and (C) early victories over
Kansas and Michigan St. before the two teams achieved midseason form. Yet, since the stunning
come-from-behind victory over UNC in Chapel Hill, each passing game pollutes my
mind and has slowly begun to dissolve my I’m-trying-to-avoid-heartbreak
pessimism. This is a problem (or
maybe not?).
There’s multiple areas of Duke’s game one needs to observe
to understand why they have been successful at times and unimpressive at
others. Mainly, as has been the
case for the last few seasons, Duke needs to hit three-point shots to win. They’re ranked 21st in the
country in overall three-point percentage (39%). Perhaps even more so this year than others, Duke has
achieved this success through a variety of players. Four Dukies rank in the top 10 in the ACC in 3P% (Kelly,
Dawkins, Rivers, Curry).
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| Once a defensive specialist, Kelly has made great strides on the offensive side of the ball this season. |
Rivers is clearly the school’s most talented player and
Curry has been flashing Curry-family-skills more now than ever before. Yet, looking ahead, I think Duke’s success
will hinge on some of its less heralded players.
Of the guys mentioned above, Ryan Kelly has the highest
percentage of the four but, as a more defensive-minded player, shoots the ball
the least, averaging just over 3-½ three-point attempts/game. At 6-foot-11, he is by far the tallest
of the bunch and flashed Dirk-like awkward brilliance in the Blue Devil’s last
game against Virginia in which he scored a career-high 23 points. Duke has never lost a game in which he scored over 10 points – he’s
averaging 12.2 per.
The ex-factors for Duke are certainly the Plumlee
brothers. Younger brother Mason
has made significant improvements to his game this year and, at 10.8 PPG, is
one of four Duke players to average double-digit points. John Henson of UNC is the only player
in the conference averaging more than Mason’s 9-and-1/2 rebounds. While the older Plumlee, Miles, is not
as imposing offensively, he too has upped his average scoring. In total, the Plumlee brothers have
averaged 14.6 PPG in Duke’s victories and 12.1 PPG in their loses over the last
two seasons.
The central question moving forward then becomes, what
combination of guards and forwards works best for the team? Duke’s defense has been
uncharacteristically porous in 2012 and, at times, downright tragic. If Duke plans on making moves in March,
don’t they need to get back to their defensive ways? Then again, isn’t the one advantage they seem to have over
most teams their three-point shot?
Loading the court with the Plumlee-wall somewhat eliminates this. Still, having a dual-Plumlee, Kelly
lineup gives them great length over almost any other team in the country. If these three can elevate their
scoring, which will naturally happen with more time together on the court, they
can open things up for what can become a carousel of lively, well-rested
perimeter guards. This could be a
formidable combination in March.
Then again, they’re not really that good.
Trivia!
A few nights ago some friends and I were looking at various
sports statistics from the early 2000’s.
It’s amazing how long ago some of the achievements seemed.
Sports trivia is often impossible for people under the age
of 40. All you elders love to restrict
yourselves to the grainy, recorded-on-Mars-looking era. This seems inherently unfair to those
of us who spent out childhood rejecting Casablanca because it was a blank and
white film. In fact, once
modernity becomes the focus of trivia, we are suddenly reminded as to why we think you’re senile.
So, it is my pleasure to present the first installment of a
barrage of trivia from 1995-present.
Depending on how dedicated I am to researching recent statistics and
accomplishments, as well as how much of a response I get, this may become a
regular thing.
Stay tuned for the answers tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to leave
your answers as comments.
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| Suck on it Trebek. |
3. In 1999, this player finished the season with a .379 batting average. Who was it? Difficulty: 3/10
5. Allen Iverson finished the 2000-01 regular season with
31.1 PPG – the best in the league.
Who was second in points per game?
HINT: He also led the league
in total points scored. Difficulty: 4/10
6. Also in 1999, this player made MBL history by recording eight RBI’s in a single inning via two grand slams (both single inning records). Difficulty: 5/10
7. The three highest passing yard totals in a single Super Bowl are 414, 377, and 365. Name the quarterback responsible for each total. Difficulty: 2/10
-AW
6. Fernando Tatis
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