Coming Soon...the Best College Basketball Program Ever!

A preview of our upcoming spectacle: The Best College Basketball Program Tournament

Excited?  You better be!  For the first time ever, Hammertime Sports writers will work together in a 16-team tournament to determine which college basketball program is the best?  

Yeah, he will be in this

How are we going to possible determine something like that?!?! Simple, we are going to make a starting 5 of the best players that have put on their schools colors and argue who would win the match up while the players were in college.  

What are the rules you ask? We carefully selected 16 of the most storied college basketball programs with the richest history.  We will make a starting 5 (1 point, 2 wings, 2 post) of the best players to play for the program/players that would make the best team on the floor, along with the best coach from that school.  We will rank the teams in a bracket similar to NBA playoff format (2 brackets of 8 seeds).  We will break it down round-by-round once a week, and will incorporate YOUR opinions in the championship!

Before the seeding starts, here is a look at the 16 teams that made the field.  We slaved over this more than the selection committee before the NCAA tournament:

Arizona, Duke, Michigan, Ohio State, Kansas, UCLA, UNC, Michigan State, Syracuse, Indiana, UCONN, Louisville, Kentucky, NC State, Florida, and Georgetown.  

"Screw you guys for not including ME!"
                                                          -Marshall Henderson

Look back next week and check our Facebook page for the final seedings and tournament information!

-Matt

Floyd Mayweather and the death of boxing

Wells (If ya don't know, the guy in the middle in the logo, I'm on the left, and Andy is on the right, with a fish) wrote last week about the highest paid, most under performing athletes on Hammertime sports. Like a transformer changing from Mack truck to kickass intergalactic robot, this idea was the spark that got my wheels turning.

You just got analogy punched, also if you think of Optimus Prime as any other iteration than this one from the 80s, you're doing it wrong. By the way, does anything we write here get YOU thinking? We would love to hear about it. We envision Hammertime Sports as a sports based opinion community. Got something you want covered? Write a guest post or comment on one of articles! We (probably) won't make fun of you!

Topping the big money list was Floyd Mayweather, which seems unfathomable to me. Never has one athlete represented the death of his sport more than Mayweather (Though cases could be made for Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong). Here are the reasons Floyd Mayweather is the last boxer you will ever know by name.

PAY-PER-VIEW

How many people even watch boxing anymore? My father in law will often wax poetic to me about the glory days of boxing. He talks about coming on a Friday to gather around the television and watch some epic fights. Fights where men equal parts elegance and brutality would pummel each other into swollen and crumpled lumps of flesh on the mat.

Now in my lifetime? I can't remember seeing a single boxing match I cared about. This was due in part to there being more interesting sports to watch, and having no interest to pay the $50 pay-per-view fee it costs to watch the best fighters. Think about if they did this in other sports. You only get to watch the Patriots play the Packers on Sunday if you pay $50 per event. You only get to watch Lebron highlights on Sportscenter if you agree to pay for a monthly sports package.

Were it not for the Rocky Movies, I'm not sure I would know what boxing is/care at all about it.

This entire post was, in fact, an elaborate excuse to post this clip. 

And this one

Can I have one more? Of course I can. 

Mayweather topping the list of sports earners last year for ONE fight tells you just how crooked boxing is. So Tom Brady can play through a 17 week regular season (soon to be 19) plus another four weeks of playoffs, taking hit after hit by guys who could use Floyd Mayweather as a toothpick, and he doesn't get the same kind of pay that Floyd gets for ONE FIGHT? Define a broken system.

HIS FIGHTING STYLE: 

Floyd Mayweather is an unapologeticly prolific defensive fighter. He's very quick, and is a master at moving his body in a way where he doesn't get hit much. He doesn't knock guys out, usually because he's too busy getting out of the way. Every Mayweather fight ever: His opponent gets frustrated/wear down, Floyd peppers them with little punches that score points and do little damage. Besides, you're trying to sell me the best fighter in the world if 5'8 and 140lbs? Nah.

 Now, the Big Show is a giant man, but somebody should really get Floyd a stool. 

Maybe Hollywood is part of the problem for me in boxing. Can you imagine the disappointment you would feel, having grown up on four iterations of Rocky (we don't count Rocky 5), and then watching Floyd Mayweather prance around the ring-not really punching or getting punched- for like 14 hours or however long boxing actually lasts? It's brutal man. I would rather watch Women's field hockey, I could at least ENJOY the fact that I don't understand what's going on and make a drinking game out of it.

THE EMERGENCE OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

This doesn't have to do with Mayweather exactly, but is an illustration of why asking people to pay for boxing is so ridiculous. I like MMA, though it has some of the same pay problems boxing does as well. Here's the difference though: take two boxers who are not-that-great and have them duke it out and its ugly and boring.  Take two MMA guys who don't know what they're doing (or better yet, one) and it's going to be brutal. Let average joe daddy issues throw an elbow and things get very interesting.

Plus you get moments like this one. I don't want to be anywhere NEAR one of these guys in a fight.

REFUSING TO FIGHT MANNY PACQUIAO 

It's been noted over the years that the two best boxers in the game right now are Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. That these two guys are in the same weight class makes it all the more exciting. Except, that is, until you see that they've never fought. Probably will never fight. Floyd cries a lot about Pacquiao, he's too strong, too fast for it to be natural. So he refuses to fight unless there are ridiculous blood testing regulations that no one would agree to. Things like getting your blood drawn every day, including hours before the fight.

How is it possible that these two have never fought, and that they can impose their own rules on when they fight? Boxing is run through independent promoters who select fights for the boxers. There is no governing body that makes a schedule and says you have to fight that guy. Fighters choose fights based on the purse and title involved, and in Floyds case, who he can beat.

By the way there are so many titles now a days that they have lost all meaning. Pay enough money and somebody would probably GIVE you one

I'll go back to my NFL analogy. Say Bellichick wants to go for the quest of the perfect season, which was in the cards a few years ago. What if, instead of playing the Giants in the superbowl, he just decided not to because there was a chance his team could lose. But Hey! He's still undefeated!See the problem here? Being undefeated, as Floyd loves to claim, is irrelevant when you don't fight the only guy who matters.

Up next for the champ Floyd 'Did-I-Mention-He-Just-Got-Out-Of-Jail-For-Hitting-His-Wife' Mayweather, for ONLY $50 to watch on your television (in addition to what you pay for cable), is a terror of the toddler boxing league, Jimmy 'Iron Fists' Lebowitz! Can the Champ remain undefeated! Tune in to find out! 

And the thing that gets me about Mayweather is he seems to be either enjoying or unaware of his sports impending demise. It's like every new rapper you've never heard of who comes out with a song about how great they are. Truth is we know you're not, and pretty soon we'll forget about you all together.

OK, so maybe this isn't connected in any way to Rocky or this blog post. But here's four minutes of Tony Jaa shattering people's elbows in The Protector, one of my favorite kung-fu movies of all time. You're welcome. 

Tiger Woods: The Roar is Back

Flash back to June of 2008 when Tiger was capturing his 14th major championship on a sun-drenched Monday along the Pacific Ocean at Torrey Pines. On one leg Tiger fended off a gritty Rocco Mediate to once again lift a major championship trophy. Few, if any, would have predicted that Tiger would fail to capture a major in the five years between then and now. Between several injuries and a messy and public separation from his wife stemming from Tiger’s well-documented infidelity, his game hit rock bottom along with his life. It was once a foregone conclusion that Tiger would eclipse Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships, and all of a sudden Tiger seemed old with an ailing body, an uncooperative swing, and a bulky putter.

Cheat on me and I will take $750 million and beat you with a 9-iron

“It’s a process,” Tiger kept telling the media as he played one mediocre round after another. It seemed like the “process” was taking forever. A man with less patience than Tiger may have abandoned the process long before. In 2012, Tiger’s game finally started to come around. He won three times on tour. However, he was not a huge factor in the major championships, which have come to define his career. While 2012 would have been considered a great year for any other tour pro, it was simply pedestrian for a man with 78 career wins and 14 majors.

What sport am I playing again? Tennis?

Tiger has gotten off to a booming start in 2013. He has already won 4 times including the most recent addition of The Players Championship, which is arguably the tour’s most prestigious event outside of the major’s. Tiger is not only winning, he is back to doing it in impressive fashion. He is bombing his driver, flushing his irons, and back to putting the way he did in the early 2000s. His putting was perhaps the last part of his game to come around out of the slump, and so far this year he is leading the tour in putting.

When will Tiger win another major?

So I know what you’re thinking, yes it’s all well and good that Tiger has won 7 times in the last 18 months, but when is he going to do it on Sunday in a major? Well, I don’t believe you will have to wait long for the answer to that question. This year’s US Open is at Merion GC in the City of Brotherly Love. The final round falls exactly five years to the day after Tiger’s win in 2008. Merion seems to set up perfectly for the type of golf Tiger is playing right now. Tiger’s lone problem at this stage is his waywardness with the driver. Normally, that would haunt you on a long US Open track with hellish rough. However, Merion sets up more like the course Tiger just brought to its knees, TPC Sawgrass. Merion is short which will allow Tiger to hit long irons and fairway woods, which he absolutely crushes with accuracy. Merion’s small greens also require the type of precision iron play Tiger has brought to the table this year.

So you heard it on Hammertime Sports first. Tiger will be lifting the US Open trophy next month, and order will be restored in the golf world. As an unabashed Phil Mickelson fan, I hope I’m wrong. I can’t stand Tiger, but damn is that guy good. The roar is back.


-Andy

Charlotte Bobcats: What should have been done?

The great what should have been from the Bobcats; a suffering recount of Charlotte basketball agony.

As someone who lives in North Carolina and is a lifetime local sports supporter, I'm not sure what to do with the Bobcats. I know a few Bobcats Fans, mostly I would say there are more apologists.

Talk recently was about the Kings moving to Seattle, but why not take the Bobcats? We wouldn't mind. We'll throw in Jordan. And a few craft breweries or beaches or leaf seasons to sweeten the pot. Please?

If you were around North Carolina in the 90s, it's hard to describe how much the state loved the Hornets. This was our first professional sports franchise, the colors were awesome and we had guys like Zo, LJ, Mugsy and Dell leading the charge. The arena was full every night, and loud.

If you grew up in this state in the 90s, you had a poster of these guys on your wall

Then George Shinn happened (may he ever rot in a hole somewhere). Shinn was greedy, and threatened to move the team if he didn't get a new stadium. Charlotte called his bluff, only it wasn't, and the team was gone to New Orleans.

Not wanting to miss out on a great basketball market like North Carolina, the NBA quickly awarded the city another franchise. The ill-fated Bobcats, run by his Airness, Michael Jordan arrived in 2004.

Only, as good of a player as he was, MJ is at the other end of the spectrum as an owner. On the court he seemingly couldn't be beat, and off it he can't get anything right.

One of the easiest ways to determine the exact failure to this point of the Bobcats is to look at the draft. If OKC is the model for how a small market team can compete with the big market clubs, then Charlotte is the model of how a team can consistently be this terrible for a decade. The draft is a hard thing to do, but to succeed you've got to hit on draft picks, and those picks have to become stars.

So here is a 'what should have been' for the first few years of the Bobcats sad existence.

2004: Bobcats Pick: Emeka Okafor. Coming off a national championship at UConn. Emeka looked like a heck of a player. Problem was he turned into a robot (stiff, no post moves) in the NBA.

Shoulda picked: Yikes. Take your pick here. Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Jameer Nelson, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith all went on to have better careers than Okafor. I'll give the Cats Iguadala as the cornerstone of your team.

2005. Bobcats picks: Raymond Felton, Sean May. More national championship players. Felton has had an OK career. May was a cheeseburger inspired flameout.

Pictured: Sean May at UNC. Sean May for the Bobcats, notice a difference?

Shoulda picked. The hawks, who picked second, practically begged the Bobcats for a trade of the two picks that should have been Chris Paul. Oops.

2006: Bobcats pick: This one hurts, you know what's coming. Adam Morrison. Playing in the pacific Northwest, Morrison averaged nearly 30 points a game in college. Wore a mustache, cried a lot, generally regarded as one of the worst picks in the last decade.

Seriously.  That was supposed to be the basketball player that saves you franchise?

Shoulda picked. Lots of options here as well. This was a pretty weak draft, but Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, Ronnie brewer, J.J. Reddick. As the speculation at the time was Rudy Gay, I'll go that direction.

2007: Branden Wright (traded for Jason Richardson), Jared Dudley. The Richardson trade worked out OK as did Jared Dudley (for another team). In this scenario though, we already loaded at Small forward with Gay and Iguadala, no need to make it.

Should picked: hands down, no question it should have been Joakim Noah. The young center is one of the most unique players in the league. For Dudley, Arron Afflalo would have been a good glue guy at the SG spot.

2008: This is another painful one. Bobcats picks: D.J. Augustin, Alexis Ajinca. Double ouch. Augustin is small, slow, and terrible. Ajinica was a 7 foot frenchman who couldn't see time IN FRANCE. Good work MJ.

Pictured, not a coat rack

Shoulda picked: No doubt about this one either. Brook Lopez could have gone first overall, and inexplicably fell to the Bobcats, who had promised they would pick him, only to take a knee jerk reactionary pick on a 5'7 D.J. Augustin. And if M.J. wanted to take a project on a foreign center, Serge Ibaka was there. Talk about collecting the best front court in the NBA in one draft.

If you're keeping score at home the lineup should have looked like:

PG: Chris Paul,
SG: Iguadala, Afflalo
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Joakim Noah
C: Brook Lopez, Ibaka

That core wins championships, at the very least competes for them every year. Fill in with some decent backups and there's enough there to win for a long time. The thing about these picks is that it's not like I'm calling for them to draft second round gems (Marc Gasol) that nobody knew about. These were all picks that EXPERTS called for the Bobcats to make.

Instead, the Bobcats came up with terrible to moderately less terrible picks. None of the picks from these years play for the team any more, and half are out of the league entirely.

How about this box of puppies?!?! Free to a good home.
Only condition is you have to take the Bobcats with you...

-Joel

Over Paid and Under Preforming: The Top 50 Highest-earning American Athletes

Sports Illustrated released their list of the Top 50 highest-earning athletes this year.  Ever wonder how much paper LeBron is stacking?  Here is your chance to find how he stacks up against other high-profile athletes.

What were the rules when making the list?  Sports Illustrated had a few requirments:

"Candidates for the Fortunate 50 must be U.S. citizens or play in a U.S.—based league. Endorsements reflect current deals, and salaries are based on current or most recently completed seasons; for instance, for NFL players the season that ended in February was used. (Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco’s new deal, which will pay him $20.1 million next season, isn’t reflected.) For auto racing and tennis, prize money came from the 2012 calendar year. Golf earnings are from July 1, 2012 through April 21, 2013. Boxing purses are from August 2012 through May 2013 (but projected money from bouts through September was included since fight deals are done on a yearly basis)."

With that in mind, here is your Top 5:

I would take that beating for a few million

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr
2. LeBron James
3. Drew Brees
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Tiger Woods

Any surprises?  Not really.  Mayweather deserves the top spot, he is the highest profile boxer in the past several years, and he gets the crap beaten out of him every time he works.  Brees is somewhat a surprise, just based on how the team preformed this year, but a lot of his payment was a signing bonus.  When you look at the whole list, however, there are plenty more surprises to be found than the top 5.

12 of the top 50 play for the Yankees, Dodgers, or Tigers

Are they getting a good return for their money here?  The Yankees on this list (A-Rod #9, Jeter #19, Sabathia #22, Teixeria #28, and Vernon Wells #32) are no surprise.  Wells maybe, but he is actually having a decent year for in pinstripes.  Sabathia is the ace of the staff, but the infield guys on this list are hurt.  Cano is the best infielder for the Yankees and he is the only one not on this list.  Look for that to change in a contract year.  

The Tigers spent wisely (Prince Fielder #23, Cabrera #36, and Verlander #38).  Cabrera won the triple crown, Verlander is the best SP in baseball, and Fielder is a big reason Cabrera won the MVP last season.  The Dodgers, however (Greinke #10, Matt Kemp #30, Gonzalez #34, and Crawford #42) are not getting a good return for this investment.  They are in last place in their division, and need some serious help.  Maybe they need to keep some cash in their pockets and spend a little more wisely.

12 of the top 50 play in California, 11 in New York

Paul:"Hey wait, I make $1.4 million more than you in
endorsments, how are you higher paid than me?

Howard:"All about that contract baby!"

This is just looking at guys who play for sports teams, not guys in individual sports (Like Tiger Woods, Phil, Mayweather).  No surprise here, these cities have money and a huge market for the talent.  Unlike the International list of high paid players, this list has no soccer guys.  Mainly Baseball, Basketball, and Football players, it is easy to see what we spend money on and where we spend it.  

13 NBA players, 8 NFL, 23 Baseball.....1 NASCAR

I am from the South, so Dale Jr has to get a shout out for being the lone NASCAR guy on the list.  It is interesting, however to see that almost half the list is made up of Baseball players, while Football, considered by some to be the new American Passtime, only has 8 guys on the list.  Of the 8 NFL guys on the list, only Calvin Johnson (#29), Vincent Jackson (#15),  Mario Williams (#18), and Carl Nicks (#21, who the hell is this guy) are not Quarterbacks (Peyton #8, Brees #3, Schaub #27, Eli #48).

"Hi, I am Dale Jr.  I may not win a lot of races, and I sure don't make money racing, but I sure do love
my sponsors!  I love that they pay me $12.6 million annually (more than twice what I make form racing)
almost as much as I love the taste of Diet Dew!

What does it all mean?

Not a lot.  I would say you cannot win a Championship by just spending and spending (see the Dodgers and Lakers), but the Heat have their 3 big guns on this list (Lebron #2, Wade #11, Bosh #47) and they will probably repeat this year.  

I will say that, looking at teams on this list with success, I have 3 rules for spending money wisely.

Believe it or not, Pau makes $2.1 million in endorsments.
Dirk, he only makes $400,000.  

1. If you are a baseball team, spend your money on pitching first, then hitting (The Giants have 3 on this list)
2. If you are an NBA team, spend money on guys who can put the ball in the basket, not always size
3. If you are going to play a sport, play golf or box.  Mayweather, Tiger, and Lefty are all in the top 6 on this list.  I would let Mayweather beat the crap out of me for a cool $10 million anyday, and that is only a fraction of what he makes on his fights!

-Matt

Recruiting Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins

After much anticipation and experts being completely in the dark about one of the best high school basketball players since Lebron, Andrew Wiggins has finally announced that he will make his decision on where he will suit up next year.  Wiggins is the top rated recruit by ESPN and the only recruit in the top 100 rising college freshmen that has yet to commit to a school.

The final list of schools is Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, and Florida State.  Each school has a different situation for Wiggins to step into, so it comes down to what he feels is the best fit.  As a Tar Heel fan, of course I have a preference of what I want him to do.  But for the sake of credibility on this blog, I will take all sides, and present what Wiggins gets if he goes to any of these four schools.

If he picks Kentucky...

Not sure how he does it, but he knows how to
sell a kid on coming to UK

This is a recruiting class for the ages.  He would make their 6th top 10 recruit in this class.  They currently have a 5-star recruit coming in at all 5 positions, so Wiggins would make 6.  There would be no match for the talent on that team, but they would lack serious experience.  Alex Proythress is coming back and he plays the same position as Wiggins, so that makes 3 guys who could start for most NCAA teams at SF all on one team.  There may not be enough basketballs to go around in Kentucky, even at practice!

If he picks Kansas...

Kansas is interesting.  They lost a lot from last years team, and have Wayne Seldon and Joel Embiid coming in to help fill the holes left by graduating seniors and top 5 pick Ben McLemore.  Wiggins would get some run with this team, but he and Seldon play the same position.  If he is OK with playing with a young core, Bill Self is a great coach.  He and Wiggins have developed a great relationship over this recruiting process.

If he picks North Carolina...

Add Wiggins to this crew and you have
a national powerhouse!

I would be a very happy guy!  This recruiting class for UNC is very below average, and needs a boost.  With the loss of Bullock to the draft, JP Tokoto is the only SF on the roster.  While he is very talented, he is nowhere near as good as Wiggins is.  Wiggins has been on record for saying he wants to play with a good PG, and UNC has the best one with the most experience of any of the final four teams on his list.  PJ Hairston will always draw attention by the defense, so adding Wiggins could make the Heels a final four contender.

If he picks Florida State...

He has the chance to become one of the best freshmen in FSU history.  They do not have much talent around him, but he would make them better.  He would get a ton of playing time, and his parents went to school there.  If he wants to play for a team with a chance to win anything other than an improvement award, FSU is not the place for him.  

Where will he go?  Wiggins may be the only person on the planet that knows.  We will all find our soon enough!

-Matt

Making a Mockery of the NBA Draft

We put the Mock in Mockery with this NBA 2013 Mock Draft

Since graduate school, I have find myself doing a lot more reading.  For those of you that know me, you may have read that last sentence twice.  I even stopped when I wrote it and asked myself, "really?" Alas, I am reading more.  Don't get me wrong, I am not reading British Literature or Shakespeare (although, who doesn't enjoy a good Shakespearean comedy?), instead I am reading a lot of online articles and blogs keeping up with things I am interested in.  As you can tell, sports are of some interest to me, and one thing I have noticed about sports blog and websites: everyone likes to make predictions, but no one thinks they are going to be right.

It usually starts off with something like "before I start, keep in mind that the field has not been set" or "so and so is coming off injury so this may change" or "depending on how serious the cecadas are this year on Tuesday afternoons, we could see some major changes."  Bottom line, everyone will make a prediction, but no one will stick by it.

Therefore, here it is folks, the first prediction that the writer is taking full confidence in these picks.  Of course, the lottery has not been set, so I will use the current standings as my order for this Mock NBA Draft.  Enjoy!

1. Orlando Magic - Trey Burke, PG Michigan

Why not?  The fact of the matter is that this draft is NOT a draft where you are going to find a franchise cornerstone.  In fact, drafting someone who is not a bust this year and will contribute would be considered a win.  If you have a chance to get a starter, that is worth a top pick.  Burke can be that for the Magic.  Nelson is past his prime and Udrih is not an NBA starter.  Burke showed his ability to create, score, be clutch, and most importantly lead in the NCAA tournament.  With no leader on this team, Burke helps the Magic in more ways than one.  Many other top prospects in this draft are injured, having surgery, or not a good fit.  Over the past 10 years, the top PG in each draft has become a solid NBA producer.  The more I explain this, the more it just makes sense.  

2. Charlotte Bobcats - Nerlens Noel, C Kentucky

Could Noel be another left handed big man
bust taken #2 overall?

It pains me to write this, but it is going to happen.  The Bobcats need everything.  As I mentioned in my post about fixing the Cats, I would love to see them trade this pick, since it is the only one they have in this draft.  My problem with Noel is he is exactly like Biyombo, just 3" taller.  If they keep this pick, I see Alex Len as a better fit.  In a perfect world, they trade back with the Timberwolves for their two first round picks and get CJ McCollum and Glen Rice Jr, but as is, Noel is the pick they make.  Fun fact: It would not be their worst pick ever (see Adam Morrison).

3. Cleveland Cavs - Otto Porter, SF Georgetown

After the decision, Cleveland has done some pretty good things with the draft.  They have basically drafted their now starting lineup over the past two drafts with Irving, Waiters, Thompson, and Zeller. What are they missing?  Their SF.  That is where Porter fits for this team.  Irving is the star, Thompson and Waiters have the potential to be All-Stars at some point, and Zeller has been productive with 7 points, 5 boards a game along with good defense and floor spacing.  Porter is long, will play hard, and does not need the ball to be a factor.  With some experience, this pick may give the Cavs what they need to get back to the playoffs.

4. Phoenix Suns - Ben McLemore, SG Kansas

This played out exactly like Phoenix could have wanted.  I will admit, I have not watched anything to do with the Phoenix Suns since Steve Nash left, but based on their roster, it looks like they play about the same style.  Wesley Johnson is a free agent, so McLemore seems like the right fit.  He has the tendency disappear for extended periods, so getting consistency out of him will be crucial.  In a fast paced offence, McLemore has a chance to be successful, because he cannot create his own shot yet.

5. New Orleans Pelicans - Alex Len, C Maryland

This pick I could see going in a couple directions.  If Burke is here, he is the obvious pick.  But, since Burke will be gone, they have a tougher decision.  They like how Vasquez came on this year, but is he really the PG of the future?  If they were more concerned, I think they reach for Michael Carter-Williams here.  They have a couple free agent SF on the roster, so pulling the trigger on Shabazz Muhammad is also possible.  With the chance to get a true big man to play alongside Anthony Davis though, Len is the pick.  A big man who could learn a thing or two from Davis on defense.  He is an old school big guy on the offensive side of the ball, so this pick gives them a strong front court going forward.  

6. Sacramento Kings - Shabazz Muhammad, SF UCLA

Another tough call, as Oladipo would be nice here, but Muhammad makes more sense.  The scoring they have on the team now is more of a drive to the basket kind of scoring.  They want to get rid of Salmons, so that leaves an opening at the position.  There may not be enough basketballs to go around in Sacramento, but at least they wont be running into each other and will space the floor.

7. Detroit Pistons - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG Georgia

What is this, our first real reach of the draft?  Yes!  It happens every year, but I think it may pay off for Detroit.  Caldwell-Pope is a great shooter from deep and is an excellent passer, which means he can spread the floor, feed Monroe and Drummand in the post, and relocate for a 3.  He has more size than the other SG's left on the board, and will flat play defense.  Move Knight back to the PG and with the size in the middle, Caldwell-Pope makes this team much better!

8. Washington Wizards - Anthony Bennett, PF UNLV

His size and surgery has him falling this far, and I would not be shocked if he went even further down, but the Wizards have a rough draft track record, so this makes sense for them.  He can score. Period.  But how will he compete with talent in the NBA?  You are drafting an undersized PF here, or a SF that is way too slow.  Is that worth a top 10 pick?  I believe the Wizards think so!

9. Minnesota Timberwolves - Dario Saric, SF Croatia

Minnesota does a nice job scouting international players.  Saric has size for the position, and with him and Kevin Love going after the ball they may not give up an offensive rebound all season.  He needs to work on his shot, but he has great instincts and great vision.  Do the T-Wolves have time to let him develop before they bring him over?  If they don't make some moves, they may lose out on Kevin Love!

10. Portland Trailblazers - CJ McCollum, SG Lehigh

Of course this picture was going on here

This is HUGE if CJ falls this far to them.  He is somewhat undersized, but he can put the ball in the hole.  They have a solid tandem in Lillard and Aldridge as studs, McCollum could make life a little easier for both these guys.  Will he be a super star?  No.  Will he be a good shooter with potential to start day 1? Yes!

11. Philadelphia 76ers - Gorgui Dieng, C Louisville

Some have Zeller higher on their board than Dieng, but Dieng is the pick here.  He can knock down short jump shots, and with some strength added, he will be a solid defensive player.  They lose Kwame Brown (shocked he is still in the league) and should let Bynum walk(terrible deal).  They have other needs here too, but Dieng would have been a better option last year than Brown or Bynum.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder - Victor Oladipo, SG Indiana

Funny how this worked out.  The Thunder lost the beard last year, but filled the hole with Kevin Martin, who has been a solid scoring threat.  This team plays hard and plays together, Oladipo would fit right in.  As someone who could contribute right away, he improves this team on the defensive side of the ball and brings a good value for the pick at 12.  With another pick in the first round, getting a sure thing here gives them freedom to take a risk later on.  Martin and Brewer are free agents, who knows if they will be back, but if the Thunder don't trade up and he falls to them, it would be a great draft of OKC yet again.

13. Dallas Mavericks - Michael Carter-Williams, PG Syracuse

It would be easier to tell you everyone coming back than who they will probably lose to free agency.  When starting from scratch, PG is a good place to start.  Carter-Williams has great size and skill for the position, he just needs to work on his shot.  Learning from Dirk and Vince Carter will help him along in development before they retire.

14. Utah Jazz - Cody Zeller, C Indiana

They are going to lose a lot of the depth they have in the middle this off season, but they like Kanter and Favors at the 4 & 5 going forward.  Zeller can come in for either guy and play solid minutes and play hard.  While they need serious help in the back court, they should try and fill that need in free agency, go with Zeller and keep that depth in the middle.
   
15. Milwaukee Bucks - Glen Rice Jr, SF NBDL

Great pick!  They like Sanders and Henson in the middle, and Rice is one of the few sure things in this class. He has been in the D-League for quite some time and lead his team to a championship.  He is playing against much tougher competition than anyone else in this draft, and playing better than most.  Plus, it is in his blood line!

16. Boston Celtics - Kelly Olynyk, C Gonzaga

Even though the Celtics don't really lose much in free agency, this could be a very different looking team next year.  Will they keep the old core?  Will they trade Pierce and Garnett?  Either way, they need help!  Wilcox is a free agent, which means nothing other than they lose the only true center on the team with experience (Garnett, in my book, is a PF).  They need a big man and Olynyk has the best chance to grow and contribute now.  Steven Adams may be an option, but he is too much of a project for this team at this time.  Let Garnett toughen up this long-haired west coast kid and see what happens!

17. Atlanta Hawks - Jamaal Franklin, SG San Diego State

Here is another team losing a lot to free agency.  They keep Horford, Teague, and Jenkins but need everything else.  Back to back picks here, especially in this draft, give them a chance to move up or stay and gamble.  I see Franklin as a little of both.  A guy who can score, has good size for the position, but needs to prove himself against competition first.  The guy plays in long sleeves: badass!

18. Atlanta Hawks - Steven Adams, C Pittsburgh

A little more of a gamble than Franklin.  Adams would have improved a lot going back for another year, but with this weak class, why not come out!  He has the talent, just needs to be taught how to play, especially at this level.  Physically, he is ready, mentally is another story.

19. Cleveland Cavs - Allen Crabbe, SG California

You can never have enough scoring.  Waiters is a little small for the SG, so Crabbe can step in, play some good defense, and be a solid roll player with some work.  At this point, look to strengthen your bench with this draft, and with Ellington and Gibson in free agency, they may get a deal with Crabbe if he pans out.  

20. Chicago Bulls - Rudy Gobert, PF France

The Bulls have done pretty well with the talent they had this year, and it is safe to say several guys have earned their spot for next year.  With a solid post presence already, why not gamble a little with pick 20 and go with a project.  Gobert has rare length and with Noah and Boozer to toughen him up, he could contribute in the rotation going forward.

21. Utah Jazz - Shane Larkin, PG Miami

He needed to come out this year.  He was losing his entire supporting cast and, like Kendall Marshall last year, his stock would not have been higher.  Larkin is fearless, willing to step up and be a leader, and pretty good at his game.  With some refinement, he could be a good back up PG, but needs to add strength.

22. Brooklyn Nets - Sergey Karasev, SG Russia

I will be honest, I am making this pick because of the Russian tie to Mikhail Prokhorov.  I also am no Fran Fraschilla, so do not consider me an expert on foreign talent.  Here is what I know: every year foreign players that I have never heard of get drafted in the first round.  It is typically guys who will stay overseas and work on their game.  What do I know about this guy?  He has good size, he is Russian, and he is 19 years old.  Boom, drafted.

23. Indiana Pacers - Jeff Withey, C Kansas

Indiana has a track record of picking experience college big guys who have proven themselves after multiple years (Hansbrough, Hibbert, Plumlee) and that is Withey.  Withey has a great chance to steal some minutes from Hibbert and actually produce.  He is strong, tall, and has great instincts.  

24. New York Knicks - Mason Plumlee, PF/C Duke

Plumlee's game, to me, is a lot like like Tyson Chandler.  Not really a good shooter, even for his size.  He is strong, good at setting screens, rebounding, athletic, and can dunk the basketball, hard!  Add a few more inches and he is a top 5 pick, but he plays a lot bigger than he really is, and in this offense, he will be good off  the bench.

25. Los Angeles Clippers - Erick Green, PG Virginia Tech

This guy had a great year.  The Clippers have a good back court right now, but it will not look this good in another year.  Bledsoe has come into his own and someone will throw serious money at him, so he will be pricey to keep as a backup if they convince CP3 to resign.  Green can score and learn how to play the position from some solid guys.  If all else fails, he can throw the ball near the rim to Jordan and Griffin.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves - Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF Greece

Minnesota likes foreign players.  They also need SF help, so this is the pick.  Not sure about anything with this kid, other than he is a skinnier version of Kirilenko.  There ya go.

27. Denver Nuggets - Reggie Bullock, SF North Carolina

Convinced I am making this pick because I am a Carolina fan?  Let me explain.  Denver has a lot of things, depth, size, good PG play, excitement, veteran leadership, the reigning Coach of the Year.  What are they missing?  They cannot shoot the ball from deep.  Strange for a team that led the league in PPG, huh.  If you don't count Koufos who hit his 1 3-point shot this year, they had 2 people who were over 30% from deep (Miller and Iguodala).  Bullock gives Denver someone who can knock down shots from range.  While they led the league in scoring, they were pretty bad abut giving up points.  Bullock was one of UNC's better defensive players last year, so the two things he does well are needs for Denver.  Make more sense now?
  
28. San Antonio Spurs - Dennis Schroeder, PG Germany

Here is another team that drafts well from overseas.  Because they are so complete, they can keep their picks overseas and let them develop.  This is a great chance to let this kid grow and maybe be a back up at some point.   

29. Oklahoma City Thunder - Archie Goodwin, SG Kentucky

The most organized thing they did all year other
than help escort Noel off the floor

...and here is the Thunder's project.  Goodwin is a great talent.  He can fill it up, drive to the basket, he can pass, and with the right guys around him, he will play hard and be competitive.  The issue at Kentucky was his supporting cast.  In fact, that is the issue with everyone who goes to Kentucky now, they are not a team, but that argument is for another day.  For now, bring in a guy who can learn from Durant and Westbrook and maybe work up to be a scoring threat on the team one day.

30. Phoenix Suns - Tony Mitchell, SF North Texas

Mitchell is interesting, he has been disappointing in college, but has talent.  Academics has hurt this kid, but you don't have to take tests in the NBA.  They need a SF so this seems like a good pick

Feel free to debate, argue, comment, insult me I don't care.  I am sticking by these picks, unlike everyone else willing to make a mock draft at this point.  Let the debate begin!

-Matt

Why Derrick Rose Should Play Already!

The sports world (and in particular a very, very, desperate Mike Wilbon) is having a discussion right now about Derrick Rose and the tendons, ligaments and the like in his knee that are subsequently keeping him from taking the court against the Lebrons.

If you don't know, he dud one of these, and his knee kind of zigged when it should have zagged

Everybody is on the opinion of "Hey, Derrick, you take your time, you come back when you're ready.

You just go and do you.  Want a snow cone little buddy?

I'm writing this because I find myself tied to Derrick Rose in a way I never expected. Aside from obvious basketball talent of course. I'm just a draft pick away from being the first 27 year old rookie, 6 foot, 175 pound white center with very minimal guard skills to be drafted first overall in the NBA. I keep entering my name in the NBA draft, but nothing to report as of yet.

Modeled my game after Chubbs from Teen Wolf

Anyway...

I feel for Derrick Rose, because literally, we went though knee injury and rehab on the same time schedule. When I say literally I mean I had my surgery on May 11th, he had his on May 15. I chronicled this (well, until I got bored and could run again) in my blog, aclbomb.wordpress.com.

Thinking about this last night when I heard the date of his surgery, I couldn't help but think he should have been back on the court a while ago. The fact that he hasn't by now means he's not going to play this season and he should just say so.

But because he keeps hinting he might play I'm here to say something nobody in the sports world has been willing to say for some reason, and I don't get really get it.

Derrick Rose should Man up and play. This series, against the Heat, Tonight. Your not playing hurts your team, hurts your city, hurts your chances. A team, by the way, who is the walking wounded at this point and who is giving it EVERYTHING they have.

Despite my proclamations, I'm no professional athlete. (Unless you are a talent scout perusing sports blogs looking for a rags-to-ritches success story, in that case I'm a 6 foot Dikembe Mutumbo) I worked hard at my rehab, but it wasn't the main thing in my life, I still had to work and move on with my life. It's not a fun thing to go through, the squats and jump roping, the plyo-lunges and the tortures physical therapists can think up.

Want to feel like a little girl? Try 10 of these.  No Joke

By all respects Derrick Rose worked harder at his rehab than I did. He had more people invested, he probably woke up every day and went through the grind that is rehabbing your knee. He had reason to. 100 million little green reasons.

So I worked out once or twice a week (basically I quit going to rehab as soon as I could jog), and I returned to sports three months ago. I've played basketball, soccer, ultimate frisbee and racquetball since coming back. I feel about as explosive as I did then.

I get it, Rose I really do. It's a scary thing to go back out there, but at some point you've just got to do it. After you reach that 8 month mark in ACL Rehab, you're about as recovered as you're going to be. You're more likely to tear it again than people who haven't torn their knee up, but that's always going to be the case the rest of your life. Them's the berries about rehab.

Everyone says he shouldn't come back too early, and to look at Gilbert Arenas as the prime example as to why. Here's the problem with that statement: Arenas (aside from being a fairly stupid human being, See: gun arrests, etc.) actually came back too early.

DERRICK ROSE WAS CLEARED THREE MONTHS AGO TO RESUME BASKETBALL ACTIVITES. Which he did. He's been practicing with the Bulls for that entire time. The question then becomes, why hasn't he played?

And the only answer people can up with? He's not ready mentally, or he doesn't want to yet.

Adrian Peterson came back after 4 months to lead the league in rushing and win an MVP. RG3 is eyeing the same kind of comeback for the start of the season.

Everyone heals differently, but as some point its about taking the field again and getting over it. What better opportunity do you have than to take a shot at Lebron tonight. If you lose, no big deal, you have a built in excuse, but if you win, you're a legend.

This is a moment of great opportunity.  Put on the big boy pants

-Joel