I’ve been conspicuously absent from the blog lately, and for that, I apologize. To make it up to you I’m treating you with two helpings of the best sports analysis on the Internets. I’m also going to give you a little teaser about what you can expect from me next (I’m really excited about it)!
"You couldn't manage a bowl of Jell-o"
I think it’s pretty clear that we have bold opinions at Hammertime, and I’m about to express a bold one. Michael Jordan is the worst owner in the NBA. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all time. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is certifiably insane. I thought that the move from the court to the front office would be a nice one for His Airness. Who better to evaluate talent and assemble a team than the most talented and decorated player of all-time?
Jordan has demonstrated a propensity for drafting players who suck and putting together teams that suck even worse. Let’s take a look at some Jordan’s drafting blunders. Jordan took control of the Bobcats basketball operations in June of 2006 so we don’t have to look far for his first mistake.
If THIS guy can go #3 in the NBA
Draft, I have hope!
1) Adam Morrison: Make no mistake Morrison was a great college player, but was a major bust in the NBA. The 2006 Draft was remarkably weak, but the Cats certainly could have done better in this spot.
2) D.J. Augustin: Augustin never provided much during his time in Charlotte, and there were plenty of other good players on the board at the time.
3) Bismack Biyombo: The Bobcats traded for Biyombo, but that was a waste. Cleary Jordan thought enough of him to acquire him, but he has been nothing more than a project. The verdict is still out on this player but the Bobcats need proven commodities, not guys they hope will pan out down the road.
Bismack block shot!
4) Cody Zeller: Zeller hasn’t yet taken the court so I could be wrong on this one. I believe that Alex Len or Ben McLemore have games better suited for the NBA and would have addressed the teams needs better.
On top of the team’s drafting problems, Jordan has also demonstrated a propensity for being cheap. The Bobcats have not paid a penny in luxury tax since the team’s inception. I know high spending does not always correlate to wins, (i.e. the New York Knicks for the better part of the last decade) but it is certainly disappointing to see the group of no names the Bobcats run out there from game to game.
The NBA is filled with poor owners, but Michael Jordan has taken a bad franchise and basically stuck it in neutral. It is going to take a lot more than changing the team’s name back to the Hornets to rejuvenate this team. Winning a few games would help and for that to happen, the approach from the top needs to change.
TEASER: College Football season is nearly upon us, and I could not be more excited. This is my favorite time of year, and I’ll fill you in on everything you need to know to prepare for the season. We’ll have some bold predictions and highlight the teams and players to watch this season.
As I
previewed in the previous round, we’ve got a rematch of one of the greatest
NCAA tournament games of all time here.
The Elite Eight game in the 1992 tournament was one for the history
books and I’m excited to revisit this great matchup.
Kentucky vs Duke, historical match up
Kentucky
and Duke are two of the Bluest of Blue Bloods (pun intended) in college
basketball. To refresh your memory, I’ll
list the starting five for each team again.
DUKE:
Lineup: Christian Laettner, Mike Gminski, Shane Battier, J.J. Redick, Jay
Williams
Duke’s lineup laid waste to Florida in the first
round so they are fresh for the second round game.
KENTUCKY:
Lineup: Anthony Davis, Antoine Walker, Jamal Mashburn, Goose Givens, Rajon
Rondo
Kentucky grinded out a nice win against a game Syracuse
team in the first round. They are
looking to avenge the loss in the aforementioned Elite Eight game.
The Matchup:
I think Kentucky is the better program of the two
here. I’m a firm believer that National
Championships speak for themselves, and Kentucky has a boatload of them. However, I believe this Duke starting five is
superior and carries them over the top in this matchup.
Laettner is not able to replicate the perfect
performance he had in 1992, but he does chip in a solid 18 points and 8 rebounds. Gminski’s size poses a problem for Walker,
and he does some damage down low.
Kentucky is able to score the basketball with
Mashburn leading the way with 24 and Walker adds 19.
A back and forth game finally falls in Duke’s favor
after Rondo turns one over late and Redick sinks two free-throws to ice it.
Historic match ups are going to start coming in bunches in this tournament. The Tar Heels (which ESPN just titled the College Program that has the best pedigree for turning out the best NBA players since 1989, which was the beginning of the modern draft era) are a school with loads of talent that has translated to the next level. Indiana, not so much. Let's take another look at the teams in this match up for those of you keeping score at home:
UNC: Phil Ford, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Tyler Hansbrough, Lennie Rosenbluth
Indiana: Indiana: Isaiah Thomas, Scott May, Steve Alford, Calbert Cheaney, Alan Henderson
Ford and Thomas would be a dream match up. Imagine Sean May on the Heels roster guarding his dad. There is a lot of potential here.
After the UCLA upset, Carolina is the highest seed remaining in the field, but this Indiana team has the chops to take them down. Let's look at the game!
This guy is playing...
This guy!
Indiana has an advantage on the inside as May and Henderson have the size on Hansbrough and Worthy. Is it enough to cause an issue?
I think not. Here is how I see the game playing out...
The first half is a lot of back and forth with Alford's shooting keeping the Hoosiers in the game and keeping the Heels, on the shoulders of Jordan and Rosenbluth, from pulling away. Heels lead 38-33 at the half.
The second half becomes a different story. As the Heels turn up the physical play and the defensive intensity, Indiana gets frustrated and hurt. Hansbrough outworks May inside, Jordan keeps Alford off balance, and Ford frustrates Thomas into a couple costly turnovers. In the end, too much Worthy and Jordan.
Certainly, my ties as a former journalist make me well aware of the rules when talking about a crime yet to be tried, about a defendant yet to be found guilty. The lessons from J school 101 resound in my head: don't convict someone with a headline (like I just did) and be sure to build layers upon layers of outs into your sentences when talking about someone convicted of a crime. See: allegedly, alleged, charged with, etc.
Now though, I'm a blogger, and as such my facts don't exist, my medium is speculation. So there's a lot out there about former (he was released as soon as he was charged) Patriots tight end Aaron Hernanez, and allow me to summarize:
Hernandez is charged with murder 1. That's not the crime of passion, get out on bail in 7 years, killed someone on accident murder. That's the pre-planned, calculated, cold and remorseless go to jail for the rest of your life murder.
Facts are now surfacing that the reason he (ALLEGEDLY) killed this guy was possibly to cover up two other gun murders he previous committed.
Here's my question. If we are looking at three murder 1 charges, in addition to the bevy of lesser gun charges, at what point do we start talking about capital punishment? If he planned to kill and carried out three murders, one of them execution style like it was from some bad mafia movie, it speaks to a serial killer with a remorseless conviction that he is above the law.
Why would he feel that way? Because there's a lot of precedent for it.
Let's face it, when it comes to high profile murder cases, the judicial branch of government in this country has egg on its face over the last several years. Add to the fact that this is escalated even more so with professional athletes, particularly football players that seem to receive special treatment under the law.
Obviously that starts with O.J. Simpson. We all know the story and I don't feel the need to rehash it, but what it basically came down to was someone dropped the ball, or Johnny Cochrain is a wordsmith genius, or something happened where this guy who was clearly guilty got away with killing his wife and her associate. He came out with a book that was literally titled "If I did it," Detailing how he 'would' have killed his wife 'if' he had in fact killed her.
Ray Lewis, for all his great speeches and squirrel dances over the last 15 years started his career in a similar circumstance as Hernandez: the victims blood was in his limo and he got away with little more than a slap on the wrist. (Fascinating details about this case, by the way, Grantland did a phenomenal job of this recently, check that out here: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/47958/remembering-the-ray-lewis-controversy).
Lesser known, but Leonard Little, a defensive end for the Rams in the 2000s, killed a woman while driving drunk and, received a second DWI not only was allowed to continue playing but was rewarded with multi million dollar contract extensions. Cowboys DT Josh Brent killed a teammate last year in a drunk driving car wreck, failed a drug test LAST WEEK and is still on the roster.
Need I mention Casey Anthony (who represents a different issue of America's obsession with pretty woman killers, but that's another rant that I go on sometimes), it would have seemed, killed her little girl and got away with it.
The point is I believe the justice system, a system designed specifically around finding the truth and pursuing justice in light of that truth, has been made a mockery of with these murder cases. The precedent says we will find the truth and get to the bottom of the issues under due process of the law.
Unless you've been to a pro bowl. Unless you're a millionaire.
Over my career I've known a few a judges, a few state prosecutors. These are some of the most intelligent people I know. Ego isn't the right word, and I wouldn't necessarily call it pride either, but when you think about it, in that line of work it is your job to think about, argue for, decide, and ultimately be right. I think whoever is going to deliberate on this case is very, very aware of the current history in the NFL regarding murder trials.
Without all the if's, and including all the assumption on the other side of those if's. We are dealing with the most serious law we hold as a society. If Hernandez is guilty of all three premeditated murders, he deserves to be punished to the maximum extent of the law. The precedent needs to be corrected, no more loop holes, no more clever word games, set that regardless of your talent or your money, you do not get away with killing another human being in this country.
**The preceding is the personal opinion of Joel Gerber and Hammertime Sports.
Reports are CP3 and Dwight Howard would be interested in playing together next season. No kidding! Anyone who did not see that coming is a moron. With the end of the Big 3 in Boston, is it time for another "Super Team" like the Miami Heat to form and take on other big 3's like Miami, San Antonio, and
Could they be teaming up in 2013?
Oklahoma City (I consider them a big 3)? Is Dwight still good enough to go into a partnership with? Where could they go and make the money they want and be competitive? Let's take a look at 3 scenarios I see playing out in this sweepstakes.
Scenario #1: They Don't Play Together
The Clippers are in talks with Boston to bring in Doc Rivers and the Big Ticket. If Boston pulls the trigger on this deal, they may also be willing to cut Pierce, and why not sign him to if you are the Clippers. The Clippers can offer Paul more money than any other team, and a team of Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Blake Giffin, Paul Pierce, and a player to be named later sounds pretty tempting. If this plays out this way, look for Howard to head home to Atlanta or down to Houston to play with Harden.
Scenario #2: They Both End Up in Atlanta
Atlanta can throw both these guys enough money to get this done. If they need to make some trades happen to get it done, they have 2 first round picks as well as plenty of trading pieces. Although I am not sure these guys end up on the same team, Atlanta is one city that could make it happen. They have been middle of the road for too long. Step up to the plate ATL!
Scenario #3: They Both End Up in Charlotte
When first reading this, you would think it is the most outlandish statement you have ever read. Let me break it down for you.
CP3 is from Winston-Salem, so in the same way Atlanta is a homecoming for Howard, this would be for Chris. Although the bright lights of LA may have his attention, there is something to be said for playing in front of friends and family when you are home.
Here is the kicker, Howard may want to play in Charlotte more than Paul! Why? Ewing and Clifford. The new coaching staff is the only coaching staff Howard has ever gotten along with, and one of the few he has ever knows. You hear horror stories about how Howard cannot get along with coaches. Clifford and Howard are buddies! One of the few he has in the league.
They did it before, will they again?
If the Bobcats get creative, they can move some pieces, cut some guys, and cut ties with Henderson and Mullins (because they are not the answer) and have the space to bring these guys in. Jordan is ready to go all in, and if they are not wanting to wait one more year to rebuild (Jordan wants to trade the 4th pick for a veteran) then this move makes sense. Or, if they keep with their plan, they hold off and spend later.
When Wells and I started talking about this best of all time tournament a few things happened. One: we might have been drunk.
…an then? A super basketball tournament. I'm going to include pictures of robots.
Two, in my mind the clear team to beat was going to be UCLA. Pairing Walton and Kareem together is almost unfair in college. Here you have two of the most dominate big men to ever play the game, and they crushed everyone in college.
I posted Kareem in the last round, so here's Walton.
Think a better rebounding Tim Duncan, plus three inches.
How could any team match up with that? Two of the tallest and most skilled players to ever play the game. Well for starters you would need two aggressive and physical big men that could throw the twin towers of UCLA off their game.
If you were to run a list of the strongest players in college basketball history Ewing and Zo would surely be high ranking members on that list. And that's what makes this matchup so intriguing: if UCLA gets past Georgetown, they should win the entire tournament because no one else is big enough to match them.
UCLA lineup: Kareem Abdul-Jabar (Formally Lew Alcindor), Bill Walton, Reggie Miller, Jamaal Wilkes, Russell Westbrook.
Georgetown lineup: Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Jeff Green, Otto Porter
So how do you call this one? What this game comes down to for me is if the stronger Georgetown front line can muscle the taller Bruins off their spots. You've got to figure John Wooden would have this game well scouted, and would set up some kind of high-low action between Walton and Kareem. Park Walton down low and let him occupy Ewing, Kareem further out on the block with Zo at his back. Both UCLA bigs were excellent interior passers, and shooters Jamaal Wilkes and Reggie Miller will keep help defenders from sagging into the paint to much for help defense.
Part of the reason UCLA might have been so dominate with their big men is because they played at a time when there just weren't that many skilled 7 footers as competition. Ewing has the bigger name, but as a senior Zo averaged an unreal 21 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks a game.
Georgetown does relatively well here, holding Kareem to 14 points and 7 rebounds, Walton to 16 and 10. The Georgetown bigs put up similar numbers with Zo and Ewing both chipping in 16 points and double digit rebounds.
Russell Westbrook is on this team as an athlete, and if we're going off a single college season he was not that great a college player. Even if he were, is totally outclassed here by possibly the best on-ball player to ever play at the college level: Allen Iverson. In his second year at Georgetown, Iverson averaged 25 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.2 steals. Westbrook wouldn't be able to dribble, and AI just has too many ways to score. Iverson drops his average at 25 points to lead the Hoyas, Westbrook finishes with 6 points, and his poor outside shooting also allows Iverson to hound the UCLA bigs on the catch.
You can never have enough AI highlights.
Otto Porter chases Reggie Miller all night and Porter's length bothers him. Porter and Jeff Green are not asked to score much. Wilkes would get a few, but again the Bruins offense would be focused elsewhere.
As inconceivable as it seemed at the outset,Georgetown pulls the upset on this one and advances over UCLA 85-80 to move on to the Semis.
I was looking for some pictures of Georgetown hotties to post on the blog in a victory celebration, and I'm sad to report to you that there aren't any. So sorry.
What do ya say we wrap up this first round of action. This group is pretty diverse. We have a Big 10, PAC 12 matchup featuring some rich history, and a Big 12 future ACC match up that should be a dog fight. Spartans vs Wildcats, Cardinals vs Jayhawks, here we go! Let's meet the starting lineups for the teams...
The issue I ran into when picking this team is an issue I also see running into with Arizona: too many great point guards. On almost any other team, Mateen Cleaves, Scott Skiles, and maybe even Eric Snow make their way into the line up. What kept them off? Magic Johnson. Even though these guys are the big snubs, I feel like I will get no argument for picking Magic over them.
Michigan State has a rich history of great guard play and great shooters. Respert (who's 2,531 points are a school record, as are the 331 three-pointers he hit, and his career percentage of .455 from long range is 17th in Division I history among qualifying players) and Smith (147 three-pointers, and 2,263 points overall—a school record when he graduated and still good for second place all-time) are two of the best shooters, so they give you scoring.
Where they lack us a lot of notoriety in the post. Green makes it after he lead the Spartans to a share of the Big Ten title as a senior, earning All-America honors with 16.2 points and 10.6 boards per game. He is second in school history to Magic in triple-doubles. Naymick may be a lesser known name, but he is 6'10" and leads the school with a record 134 blocks in his career. This team needs someone inside, scoring will take care of itself.
Arizona: Damon Stoudamire, Sean Elliot, Richard Jefferson, Bob Elliot, Channing Frye
Again, a school nick-named Point Guard U had a lot of snubs at the PG position. Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Gilbert Arenas, and Jason Gardner (who was the first man left off the team) all got consideration. Stoudamire gets the nod because he stayed 4 years, and averaged 22.8 ppg., 4.3 rpg. and 7.3 apg as a senior, not bad for a 5'10" guy.
While PG U had some outstanding guards, the best guard has to be Sean Elliot. Elliott is still the U of A's all-time leading scorer with 2,555 points (career average: 19.2 ppg). He was selected twice as the Pac 10 Player of the Year and was a consensus all-American during his junior and senior years. Elliot led the Wildcats to their first Final Four (during his junior year) and won the John Wooden Award (National Player of the Year) following his senior season. WOW.
Jefferson makes the team as possibly the best athlete at Arizona, who could jump out of the gym and guard anyone on the floor. His defense gives him the nod over Steve Kerr. Bob Elliot (lesser known Wildcat) averaged a double-double (even before they were calling it that) as a freshman (16.5 ppg; 10.7 rpg) and as a junior (18 ppg; 10.3 rpg). He shot a combined 53.4 percent from the floor over his four-year career and was a two-time (1976, 1977) All American selection.
Frye is here to give a strong front court, as he is No.2 in blocked shots in U of A history with 253. He scored 1,789 points (13.5 ppg) and grabbed 975 rebounds (7.3 rpg) over his four-year career.
Don't recognize these names? You should! Gaines could do it all, pass, handle, shoot, and rebound. Wheat finished his NCAA career as the only player to surpass these career totals: 2,000 points, 450 assists, 300 three-point field goals and 200 steals. Griffith aka Dr. Dunkenstein, was a 6'4" guard with a 48" vertical. He ended his career as the leading scorer in Cardinals history with 2,333 points. Not to mention, his 825 points in his senior season is still the best scoring season of any player in Louisville history. Also, he closed out with a National Championship, a two-time All-American, the all-time steal leader, and 1980 Wooden Award winner.
That was Griffith in college, he did this in the pros
As for Unseld and Ellison, They make up one of the more dangerous front lines in this tournament. For Unseld, his 20.6 scoring average, and 18.9 rebounding average ranks No. 1 for any Louisville player. Unseld had an amazing career as a Cardinal, all three years he was nabbed as an All-American. Not to mention his 45-point effort is still the best single game performance from any Louisville player. Ellison may not be known as the best player in Louisville history, but he can be labeled as the best freshman to ever play at Louisville. He finished his years at Louisville with 2,143 points, 1,149 rebounds, and 374 blocks, and was taken as the first player in the draft in 1989.
Kansas: Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Pierce, Danny Manning, Aaron Miles, Keith Langford
I was tempted to put Andrew Wiggins on here...NOT! If he would stay longer than 1 year at KU maybe, but doubtful. Anyway, here is the team. Manning and Chamberlain were no brainers. What a front court! This makes for a great match up with Louisville.
Langford was a stretch, but there has not been much history with SG at KU (mainly because they leave early). He topped 14 points per game in three of his four seasons in Lawrence, finishing with 1,812 career points (seventh-most in Kansas history), so he gets the start. Miles edged Chalmers and Heinrich for the PG spot, and his 264 steals are third-most at Kansas all-time, and his school-record 954 career assists rank eighth in Division I history.
Pierce has turned into a great pro and averaged over 20 points a game as a junior. Need scoring, Pierce gets it done.
Let the games begin!
Michigan State v Arizona
These teams match up pretty well against each other. Green and Fyre cancel each other out on the offensive side of the ball. Jefferson ends up matching up against Magic because Magic is too versatile. That causes a match up problem for Smith with Stoudamire on him, and he explodes. Smith goes for 24 points, and despite his best effort, Sean Elliot can not match it, dropping 18 himself.
The difference in this game? Defense. Magic keeps Stoudamire from getting his shot off with any success, Naymick neutralizes Elliot inside, and Sean Elliot cannot fill it up with the length of Respert.
Final Score: MSU 68, Arizona 58
Louisville v Kansas
Great interior match up here. Chaimberlain and Manning against Unseld and Ellison. While the Louisville duo is much larger in size and build, the Jayhawks are much more skilled. Kansas wins the match up inside, mainly because of Wilt.
The difference maker: Paul Pierce. Griffith is a superb athlete, as are most of the guys for Louisville, but they all lack shooting. Aside from Gaines, they cannot really fill it up. Langford is a good defender and keeps Gaines at bay while Pierce drops 18 points en route to a Jayhawk victory. Rock Chalk ladies and gentlemen!
I am from a small town. Very small. The kind of small where you cannot go out to eat, to the gas station, or even to the bathroom (hopefully by now you get the picture) without seeing someone you know, your whole family knows, and who knows all your business. So, when something like this happens, you cannot help but brag a little, saying "I remember when..." for Wil Myers, who has been called up form AAA Durham Bulls to the big show in Tampa Bay.
I played little league baseball with Wil. In a game in 2001, I actually struck him out (the crowning achievement in my baseball career). While my career ended not long after, it seems Wil's is just getting started. Drafted by the Royals a few years back as a catcher, he made the transition to Right Field to hopefully reach the majors faster.
He made a real splash last off season when the Rays gave up stud pitcher James Shields and others for him, and some felt that move was made for him to be a starter game 1. For $$$ purposes, the Rays kept him down in the minors until now.
Wil has the tools and the ability to be a long term great hitter in baseball. He can hit for power and average. If the Yankees or the Red Sox wanna compete against this guy, give me a call. I am affordable and do have a good track record against this guy!
While Hammertime Sports is bringing you the impossibly difficult and important tournament of the best college basketball program of all time, I wanted to provide a little levity in the midst of such an influential undertaking. I proudly bring you the top 5 dances in sports. All of these dances are purely my opinion, and I encourage you to weigh in with your comments about what I got wrong or suggestions of you own. Without further adieu…
Too bad this was not a sporting event...
5-James Hahn, Gangnam Style
James Hahn has quietly put together a good year on the PGA Tour in 2013. There was nothing quiet about his celebration at the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this year. Shortly after rolling in a nice birdie putt on the notoriously raucous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, Hahn broke into the best rendition of Gangnam Style outside of PSY himself. Now, I know Gangnam Style is so 3 minutes ago, but I couldn’t help but be impressed by Hahn’s moves. His Korean roots must have something to do with it.
4-Chad Ochocinco/Johnson, River Dance
As a self-respecting Bengals fan, I could not leave this little jig off the list. Chad Johnson or Ochocinco or whatever he’s going by these days, has no shortage of outstanding celebrations. Among my personal favorites are putting with the pylon and a photo shoot in the end zone with Peter Warrick. You won’t be disappointed with a quick YouTube search of Chad Johnson Celebrations. The man set the bar for celebrations during the prime of career. With all due respect, T.O. and Steve Smith were simply pretenders in the celebration game. Chad hit another high note with this dance. It’s much harder than it looks. I couldn’t pull it off in my living room let alone in front of 70,000 people. It could be that I’m just a bad dancer, but I refuse to believe that’s the case.
3-John Wall, John Wall Dance
John Wall came to Lexington poised to put Kentucky basketball back on the map. During Big Blue Madness, Wall started a phenomenon that took the Bluegrass by storm. After his introduction, Wall did a simple little dance, and his legend was born. Wall had a great season at UK and the dance evened spawned a rap song in it’s tribute by Troop 41. Wall had a nice second half of the season this year in the NBA, but unfortunately for him it seems he’s more known for this dance than anything else.
2-Shaq, Jabbawockeez Dance
I love Shaq. In his prime, the dude was a beast on the basketball court. He also has remained a very relevant figure off the court. This dance really speaks for itself. Shaq cut some rug with the Jabbawockeez at the All-Star Game, and it was awesome!
1-Mike Gundy, The Gundy
After a big win against another top-10 team in Texas A&M, players and staff were understandably fired up in the Oklahoma State locker room. Things start to get good at about the 2:50 mark when #9 gets the dancing started. His peculiar moves may have been good enough to crack this list on their own, but Coach Gundy then enters the room and finds himself in the middle of the infamous dance circle. Instead of chickening out he embraces it, and finds himself at #1 on our list. Gundy’s violent gyrations won me over, and I have added the move to my own extensive repertoire. I did this very dance at a wedding last weekend much to the delight of the crowd. Thank you Mike Gundy, for being a dancing machine.
Honorable Mention
Ray Lewis, Squirrel Dance
His signature move.
Kate Upton, Dougie
I know she’s not an athlete, but this is at a sporting event, which is good enough for me.
When Joel and I first came up with the idea to have this tournament with Hammertime Sports, I was thrilled! Being given the chance to compare great programs with a rich basketball history is a dream come true, and I have 4 teams that have plenty of basketball history to brag about.
They won before, will they win again?!?!
Interesting parings here with a HUGE rivalry with UNC and State, and a Big 10 battle for the ages. It is only right that this turns into an ACC, Big 10 match up! Lets get started!
UNC: Phil Ford, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Tyler Hansbrough, Lennie Rosenbluth
This was rough, as UNC has such a rich history of Tar Heel greats. Just missing the list was Jamison, Perkins, Ed Cota, and Montross. Heck, add Vince Carter to that list and you have a team that could probably win a lot of games in this tournament too! But we had to have five, and here is why these are the guys.
Phil Ford is an obvious pick. The second leading scorer in Heels history, Ford also won the US a Gold Medal starting for his country as a sophomore in college (this was when the US used only college players though, but still a sophomore PG!). All-American in '76, '77, and '78, he was named player of the year in 1978.
Worthy ended up being the #1 overall pick after his junior year, but before that he won a nation title, shared player of the year honors with Ralph Sampson, won the NCAA tournament most outstanding player award, and averaged 14 and 7 for his career. Before MJ became MJ for UNC, Worthy was better. Then came MJ, and as my Dad used to tell me, the only person ever who could hold Michael to less than 20 points was Dean Smith. Need I say more?
Psycho T averaged 20 and 8 for his career, and was a national player of the year and a 4-time All-American selection. He holds the NCAA record for made free-throws and holds 41 school records, including most points and most rebounds. The lesser known of the team, Rosenbluth, averaged 26 and 10 (WOW) for UNC in the 50's. He lead the Heels to an undefeated season in 1957 and no other player at Carolina has had a higher scoring average, or as many 40-point games (5).
Ford will run this offence to perfection, and with Rosenbluth and Jordan at the wing, scoring will not be in short supply for this UNC team. Worthy and Hansbrough will hold down the fort in the middle, as Psycho T never backs down from a challenge.
NC State: Thurl Bailey, Tommy Burleson, Chris Corchiani, Rodney Monroe, and David Thompson
David Thompson invented the alley-oop?
I think not!
This was a pretty easy team to select, and I confirmed I was not missing anything with a co-worker who is a avid State fan (thanks Seth). Bailey was the leader of the State team that made the miracle run in 1983. He led the team in points and rebounds that year. Burleson played with David Thompson when State beat UCLA in 1974. Speaking of Thompson, any shock the inventor of the alley-oop is on the team?
Corchiani and Monroe played together in the early 90's and were nicknamed "Fire and Ice" (for all my Game of Thrones fans). Monroe was the ACC's Player of the Year in 1991 after averaging 27 points per game. He broke David Thompson's school scoring record at NC State and is 4th on the ACC's all-time scoring list with 2,551 career points
Solid team
Ohio State: Aaron Craft, Jim Jackson, Jerry Lucas, Clark Kellogg, John Havlicek
Clark Kellogg is a BEAST
Although I would consider myself a Michigan man, even I am appreciative of this line up. Start with Craft, who although he is still at Ohio State, is one of the best defensive point guards EVER. He is already the schools leader all time in steals (208) and assists (579), and is the single season leader in steals (98) and single game leader in assists (15). These numbers will only get more impressive his senior year.
Other than that, Havlichek is one of the best to ever play the game, Kellogg was a 6'8" 230-pound beast inside with hops, handles, and a great post game, and Jackson was a versatile guy and an All-American 3 times. Then there is Jerry Lucas. He was the AP Player of the Year in '61 & '62, was a first team All-American 3 times, and final four most outstanding player twice. He is OSU's all time rebounding leader, and arguably the best player to play for the buckeyes. This guy is the real deal.
Indiana: Isaiah Thomas, Scott May, Steve Alford, Calbert Cheaney, Alan Henderson
This is the ultimate history team. Thomas, the best Hoosier to put on the uniform (and a great Piston as well) leads this team of studs into this tournament. Leading the Hoosiers to back-to-back Big 10 titles in '80 and '81, Thomas played great in the 1981 championship game, leading all scorers with 23 points, going on to be honored as the Outstanding Player of the tournament. He was also an All-American.
Steve Alford, still has the same hair
style
May was a stud. An undefeated season, four Big Ten Championship rings and an NCAA title are just a few of his accomplishments. 1976 Player of the Year, 2-time All-American, and Gold medal winner for team USA, yeah stud fits. Alford, the new coach at UCLA, is the second leading scoring in Hoosier history with 2,438 points, and in 1986 and 1987 he was named as an All-American and the Big Ten player of the year.
Cheaney was named an All-American and All-Big Ten three time from 1991-1993. In his senior season in 1993 he became only the second player for Indiana to win the National Player of the Year award. Henderson was the last member of this roster for me, but seeing he is the only Indiana University player to rank in the school's top five in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals, and he recorded 50 double-doubles in those four years and was also named an All-American in 1995, he has every right to be at the top of the list.
Well, that was fun...now on to the match ups!
UNC v. NCSU
David Thompson is LONG!
Aside from UCLA v. Michigan, this is the only "Duh" of the tournament. Corchiani does an okay job at disrupting Ford, but there is way too much Worthy and Jordan on this one. Jordan finishes with 18 points and Worthy throws in 19 and 10. David Thompson caused somewhat of a match up issue, but Hansbrough stood firm inside and the heels collectively hold Thompson to a modest 16 and 12 night. Ultimately it comes down to the scoring of the Heels, too much for the pack to handle.
UNC 88, NCSU 70
Ohio State v. Indiana
What an exciting match up! Will Havlicek outperform Cheaney? Can Craft frustrate Thomas? Will May and Henderson be able to match the skill and intensity of Lucas and Kellogg? Can Jackson out shoot dead eye Alford? Depending on any of these match ups the outcome could be different. Here is how I see it playing out:
Got to get around this Isaiah...
Craft irritates the snot out of Thomas and forces 5 turnovers. Cheaney and Havlicek basically cancel each other out, both scoring 16 points on decent shooting efforts. The battle inside keeps it close as Kellogg struggles to score on May, and Alford makes up for the Thomas mistakes and hits 6 3's. In the end, too much tradition in Indiana and too much Alford, he hits a game winner off a relocation from Cheaney.
Lebron vs Michael. The debate may never stop. You can compare stats, but then there are intangibles. They could play head-to-head, but Jordan is WAY past his prime while Lebron is right in the middle of his (and it may last another 7 years). There may never be a clear-cut answer to the "Who is better?" debate between these guys. While Jordan may have been more clutch and won more championships, Lebron has more physical gifts and a size and speed combination Jordan never had.
One thing I do feel confident comparing...after this year they will have each been on the cover of the 2K series video game. I think each cover does a good job getting to the true character of the player. Let me explain...
If I had to chose between Jordan in his prime and Lebron in his prime, my vote goes to Jordan. Aside from the fact he is a Tar Heel, here is why I feel Jordan>Lebron:
Michael's cover is perfect. Playing the game, tongue out, on the attack. No gimmicks, no showboating, no pose, just MJ being MJ.
As for Lebron, sweet baby powder toss bro. How about having a basketball in your picture? As for the pose in the background, that looks like the face on every Cavs fan after the decision, or should I say the Red Wedding before there was a Red Wedding (how about them apples GoT fans!).
You cannot tell me this...
Was less heart wrenching than this for Cavs fans...
Even his commercial about being on the cover is alluding to the decision...
Keeping us in the dark LBJ?
Jordan's response to The Decision? Jordan said, “There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic, and said ‘Hey look, let’s get together and play on one team. But that’s…things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty I was trying to beat those guys.” Competitiveness like no other.
A piece of advice, let's focus more on basketball and less about video games for awhile. MJ waited until he was long retired to make his first appearance. How about focusing in on the Spurs, and avoiding a sweep form the finals?
Both matchups in this section of the bracket pitted teams among the blue bloods of the sports against teams who have enjoyed quite a bit of recent success.
DUKE: Lineup: Christian Laettner, Mike Gminski, Shane Battier, J.J. Redick, Jay Williams
Duke has one of the most balanced lineups across the board. This team has it all scorers, rebounders, and defenders. Let’s start down low.
Duke has a pair of phenomenal big men. Christian Laettner may be one of the best college basketball players ever. He is among the top-five scorers, rebounders, and shot blockers in Duke history. He left Duke with two national championships and a national player of the year award to his name. Who could forget his buzzer beater to cap a perfect day from the floor to down Kentucky during Duke’s 1992 title run? (Foreshadowing the next round perhaps?) Mike Gminski is sort of a forgotten man and I was tempted to put Shelden Williams in his place, but Gminski also ranks in the top five in school history in points rebounds and blocks. He went on to have a nice NBA career but was overshadowed during a time when centers were dominating the game.
Shane Battier and J.J. Redick make up a solid tandem of wings. Both were outstanding college players and Battier has made a nice career out of his reputation as a defensive stopper. J.J. Redick knocked down tons of big shots in his career and would be a great scoring threat on this team.
Duke has a great point guard tradition with players such as Bobby Hurley and Chris Duhon. I gave the nod to Jay, who was simply a complete player. Sadly, his NBA career was cut short after a motorcycle accident.
FLORIDA: Lineup: Neal Walk, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Mike Miller, Jason Williams
Florida’s lineup was tough to choose, as it is a program with a plethora of solid players but few true stars. Prior to researching this, I had not heard of Walk, but the man could play was the number two overall pick in the NBA Draft after only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Joakim Noah was the (ugly) face of Florida’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2006-2007.
Thanks for looking good on draft night Joakim
Florida has produced a handful of good wing players over the years, but Corey Brewer and Mike Miller provided a lock-down defender and a shooter.
Jason Williams is among the more intriguing players in this matchup. After beginning his college career at Marshall University, Williams transferred to Florida when Billy Donovan took the helm of the Gators. Williams’ one season in Gainesville saw him emerge as both a scoring threat and a silky smooth passer. Williams was sometimes more known for his antics than his game, but went on to have a long NBA career.
KENTUCKY: Lineup: Anthony Davis, Antoine Walker, Jamal Mashburn, Goose Givens, Rajon Rondo
Kentucky was a tough team to pick given its extremely rich basketball tradition. I feel UK may be a little bit under seeded in this tournament, but let’s take a closer look at the lineup.
Davis only spent one year in Lexington, but it was one for the record books as he led Big Blue to their first national title since 1998. Antoine Walker was a prolific scorer. Despite being a power forward, he was not afraid to step out and shoot, once saying he shot so many threes because there were no fours.
Jamal Mashburn was a jack-of-all-trades for the Cats and went on to have a productive NBA career. Goose Givens is the loan throwback on the list and adds another scoring threat. Givens is third on the all-time scoring list at UK and has the distinction of having the best name in these first round matchups.
I debated between Rondo and John Wall for the point guard spot. I went with Rondo since he is a true facilitator on a team that already has a scoring punch. Rondo is also an outstanding defender and rebounds particularly well for a guard.
SYRACUSE: Lineup: Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly, Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Sherman Douglas
Syracuse is another program with a number of worthy players, which made it difficult to pick the five who stood out.
Derrick Coleman was a straight beast. He is the second leading scorer in program history and top rebounder. He ripped down 19 of them in the 1987 NCAA Championship loss to Indiana. Rony Seikaly started alongside Coleman and he is reunited with him here. He was another do it all big man who could score and hit the glass.
Carmelo Anthony was a no-brainer. He put Syracuse on his back to win the 2003 NCAA Championship. Anthony only spent one year at Syracuse, but has gone on to become one of the most prolific in the NBA. Gerry McNamara played with Anthony in 2003 and was a prolific shooter. McNamara was a gritty competitor and is a strong asset to this lineup.
Reunited and it feels so good!
Sherman Douglas scored over 2,000 points in his career as well as setting the career NCAA record for assists. He completes what is quietly an outstanding line-up for the Orange.
DUKE v. FLORIDA
Duke is simply too much to handle for Florida. A solid battle down low opens up the floor for JJ Redick who chips in 22 points on hot shooting. Jay Williams is able to push the tempo and get some easy buckets for himself and Christian Laettner.
Joakim Noah battles his way to a respectable 14 points and 10 rebounds. Duke leads from the outset and the game is never really in doubt.
Final Score: Duke 85, Florida 71 Syracuse v. Kentucky
A closer game than one might expect. Carmelo is the predominant scoring threat for the Orange going for a game high 26 points. Anthony Davis is able to stop Syracuse’s post play with 7 blocks while adding 16 points and 12 rebounds. Rajon Rondo is able to slow down Douglas just enough to throw off his rhythm. Rondo adds 8 assists while Mashburn and Walker combine for 37 points.
Kentucky is able to get a key stop down the stretch and Goose hits a big shot late to put the game away.
Alright everyone in the first round of the Hammertime Sports Tournament the number one overall seed matched up against the 16, Michigan. The other matchup this week was a 2/3 matchup of powerhouses UCONN and Georgetown.
UCLA: Lineup: Kareem Abdul-Jabar (Formally Lew Alcindor), Bill Walton, Reggie Miller, Jamaal Wilkes, Russell Westbrook.
When we were thinking about the team to beat in this tournament, it was difficult to overlook this towering UCLA squad. This was our number one overall seed going into this tournament, and it's easy to see why.
Lets start at the top: Kareem was as close to a truly unstoppable player as basketball has ever seen. 7 foot 2 and impossibly long, Kareem perfected the sky hook on the way to 29 points per game as a senior.
Got a way to stop this? No? Join history in that regard.
Kareem only might be enough to win this tournament of college players, mostly because there aren't too many 7 foot 2 guys in this tournament, other than the guy on his team, that is, Bill Walton. Walton grabbed 15 rebounds a game for a total of 1,370 in his career.
Reggie Miller is rarely mentioned as an afterthought, but that's what he is on this team. With as many resources as teams would have to commit to the post threat of Walton and Alcidor, Reggie would make it rain. Westbrook wasn't in school long enough to be a great college player, but he was still ridiculously athletic player who got his hand on everything. Add in Wilkes, one of the smoothest players to play the game, and this is a very formidable squad.
Taking Glen Rice over Jalen Rose was a tough call, but I feel like the sweet shooting Rice is the right call. The need for size puts Juwan Howard in the lineup as well.
Although Tomjanovich was undersized, he was a ferocious insider scorer and rebounder, still the leading rebounder in Michigan History.
Even though Rudy T was most famous for getting his face broken
He was a heck of a player at Michigan.
Burke is coming off a Player of the Year win and led his team to the national championship game. As steady as they come, Burke's scoring and passing are much needed on this team. Before webber blew out his knees in the NBA and became a jump shooter, he was one of the most explosive basketball players I have seen in my lifetime.
The need for a bigger wings keeps Rip Hamilton on the bench for Butler. This is another stacked team with a lot of scorers. Both Okafor and Marshall were grown men in college, Okafor didn't do any one thing spectacularly well, but was well rounded and steady in the post for the huskies for four years. Kemba Walker was an undersized guard who basically single handedly won a national championship with his scoring ability. Ray Allen may be the best pure shooter of all time, and Butler is a big and versatile wing, a walking matchup nightmare.
Georgetown: Lineup: Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Jeff Green, Otto Porter
Looking at this roster, you may have one of the most balanced dream teams taking the floor.
Patrick Ewing was one of the most intimidating presences to ever grace a basketball court, and pair him with a young Zo, who was basically the same guy and that's a load to deal with. Everyone knows Iverson basically invented the modern crossover and could score at will, Jeff Green and Otto Porter are big time matchup problems on the wing.
So now we get into the tournament. Before I wrote out the teams on this on I thought UCLA would walk away with this bracket, but at a second glance this is closer than it looks.
Matchup 1: UCLA VS Michigan.
The only way Michigan has a chance in this one is on outside shooting and if Trey Burke has a phenomenal slash and kick game. Unfortunately for him, the athlete that is Russell Westbrook doesn't have much to do on this team other than stop him from getting to the paint. Which he does. Burke ends up with an inefficient 15 points and seven assists, but Westbrook keeps him from getting into a rhythm with two steals, two blocks and 8 points all coming in transition.
UCLA dominates inside. Walton pull down 13 rebounds and 22 points, feasting all night on the shorter Howard. Kareem puts up a stellar 28 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Chris Webber just can't get anything going inside due to UCLA's superior length and has to settle for jumpers. Rice and Miller cancel each other out.
Final Score: UCLA 88, Michigan 72.
Matchup 2: UCONN v Georgetown
What a matchup. How is this the first round? Who made this bracket? Oh wait.
Despite Emeka Okafor's workman like performance, Georgetown has an advantage inside. Zo and Marshall would be a heck of a matchup, but the help defense would have to shift to one of the two Georgetown bigs. It's a war, but Ewing finishes with a double double, 18 and 11, and Zo puts up a similar 14 and 9.
Okafor holds his own on defense but can't get anything going against Ewing, finishes with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Zo is just too big defensively for Marshall.
This game is truly played by the guards though. Watching Kemba and Iverson go at it would be like watching a couple lightning bolts bounce off each other.
Neither player is much for defense, Iverson puts up 24 and Kemba a cool 22, both lead their teams in scoring. Ray Allen runs around Marshall Screens all night for 17 with Porter putting up 12 and 8.
You forget how athletic Caron Butler was in college, So here's this:
Jeff Green was still skinny in college and couldn't handle him.
And Jeff Green beat an extremely talented UNC team by himself that year:
But Jeff Green was such a crafty scorer, he would get his on Caron as well.
In a close game, the difference comes down the post options for Georgetown. Ewing may not have gotten his average against Okafor, but he and Zo bother shots at the rim all night. Iverson's mid range game keep them ahead slightly going into the fourth. A Kemba Walker fade away clanks off the rim at the buzzer.
