College Football: Week 1

Now that the summer is over we can finally start worrying about the 2010 season rather than what's happening with the NCAA Football landscape changing. There was much movement across college football but that topic is on hold for now. It's time for my week one picks. (I'm using the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll all season so therefore, USC won't be included unless playing a ranked team). Before I start let me lay it all out for you. My buddy and fellow sports blogger Brandon and I will be going head to head with our picks. I'll post his picks in italics but for his full break down on each of them check out his blog at  http://thebiznizfiles.blogspot.com/. We have to have at least one upset per week and one non Top 25 game pick. Here we go.

Thursday September 2nd, 2010

#2 Ohio State Buckeyes 0-0 vs. Marshall Thundering Herd 0-0

The Thundering Herd is on the right track with the hiring of new head coach Doc Holliday. They finished last season 7-6 with a bowl victory against Ohio. They return fourteen total starters and are led by senior quarterback Brian Anderson. Look for them to be a sleeper in the C-USA, but they will be no match for the Hesiman candidate Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He'll have a huge game both on the ground and through the air. Look for him to make a week one statement for his Heisman run. OSU 48 Marshall 20. Brandon: OSU 48 Marshall 10

#13 Miami (FL) Hurricanes 0-0 vs. Florida A&M Rattlers 0-0

Um yeah ... there's really not much to say about FAMU. Jacory Harris will begin his season with a huge game as the 'Canes have a breezy victory. Miami (FL) 55 FAMU 7. Brandon: Miami (FL) 40 FAMU 7.

#15 Pittsburgh Panthers 0-0 @ #24 Utah Utes 0-0

This is going to be a solid opener between the Utes and Panthers. Dion Lewis had 1,799 yards his freshman season and he'll look to explode out of the gates off of his sophomore season. Utah has a young defense with only three returning starters. Look for a huge day for Lewis. I say at least 150 yards and a couple TD's. However, Kyle Whittingham knows how to get things done. The Utes have a solid backfield of their own. Eddie Wide is on the Doak Walker award watch list. Jordan Wynn will look to build off of his huge game in the Poinsettia Bowl against Cal last season. I see Pitt's running game scoring and a well balanced attack for Utah getting to the endzone as well. Here's my upset of the week. Utah takes a close one. Utah 28 Pitt 27. Brandon: Pitt 28 Utah 20.

Saturday September 4th, 2010

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide 0-0 vs. San Jose State Spartans 0-0

Roll Tide Roll. Coming off of their National Title last season, Bama will show no signs of stopping. SJSU will be their practice game this season. Mark Ingram won't be on the field due to a knee injury but I still don't see that being a problem for this game. It's time for backup Trent Richardson to shine. It's uncertain how long Ingram will be out for but some are saying the entire first month. Most schools would be weighed down greatly on the loss of a returning hesiman winner and with all due respect to Ingram, there shouldn't be too great of worries. Richardson has what it takes to step up. I believe he'll still get some touches when Ingram returns. Much like Reggie Bush and Lendale White for USC in 2005. Nick Saban's Tide wins this one in a blowout. I'm giving the Spartans the benefit of the doubt by getting two field goals. Bama 48 SJSU 6. Brandon: Bama 51 SJSU 9.

#3 Florida Gators 0-0 vs. Miami (OH) Redhawks 0-0

Miami (OH) had the 23rd best passing game in the nation last year. Yet their total offense was 84th and had one win against Toledo. Nearly their entire offense returns and they may look to upset the so called "rebuilding" Florida Gators. John Brantley finally gets his chance to call the signals for Florida. Filling Tim Tebow's shoes is going to be real tough though and he'll have to find his go-to reciever. Jeff Demps may be his security valve as he finds himself. Demps had 745 yards on the ground last year. That's pretty impressive since Tebow ran the ball often. Look for Demps to have a break through season. Florida will have a rough start in this opener but Urban Meyer will continue his winning tradition. UF 34 Miami (OH) 16. Brandon: UF 38 Miami (OH) 14.

#4 Texas Longhorns 0-0 vs. Rice Owls 0-0

Like Florida, Texas is also replacing a quarterback star in Colt McCoy. He left a legacy at Texas and now it's Garrett Gilbert's turn. The Longhorns only have ten returning starters but Mack Brown's teams never seem to be in rebuilding mode but more of reload mode. The season opener against Rice seems to be a perfect game to get the pre-season and inexperience jitters out of the way. Rice was 2-10 last year and were terrible on both sides of the ball. I don't really see them doing anything different. It may take Texas a whole quarter to get the feel but watch out Owls. You will get blown out in Memorial Stadium. Texas 45 Rice 7. Brandon: Texas 31 Rice 7.

#7 TCU Horned Frogs 0-0 vs. #22 Oregon State Beavers 0-0 (Neutral Field)

Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs saw a disappointing end to a great season. Before the Fiesta Bowl many were saying they got snubbed out of the BCS Championship. They had the 7th best offense last year as far as gaining yards and the number one defense in the country. Andy Dalton seems like he's been in Fort Worth forever. He's finally a senior and so is his favorite target Jeremy Kerley. TCU looks to make another run in the BCS standings this season. That loss to Boise State will be their motivation. Oregon State had an embarassing loss to BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl last season. Jacquizz Rogers should make his own statement for the Heisman race in 2010. OSU didn't lose much but they did replace their signal caller. Ryan Katz is the man who'll be handing Rogers the ball as well as throwing to his brother James Rogers. At a neutral site this should be an interesting game. With all due respect to the Rogers brothers I don't see them being enough to beat that classic Patterson defense. TCU 34 OSU 23. Brandon: TCU 26 OSU 21

#8 Oklahoma Sooners 0-0 vs. Utah State Aggies 0-0

Landry Jones took over unexpectedly last season after the injury to Sam Bradford. For a redshirt freshman tossed into a tough situation he actually faired pretty well. Four of OU's five losses last year were by a combined 12 points including two one point losses. Jones had just under 3200 passing yards last season. Ryan Broyles will be his main target in 2010. Utah State lost their thousand yard rusher Robert Turbin but their starting QB Diondre Borel remains in an inexperienced offense who surprisingly did well last season. It's the defense where all the questions lie. They were terrible last season but second year head coach Gary Anderson is hoping to change that. I don't see that happening in this game. USU will have a long day in Norman. OU 53 USU 13. Brandon: OU 55 USU 10.

#9 Nebraska Cornhuskers 0-0 vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 0-0

The Huskers were nearly the BIG XII Champs last year as they lost to Texas in a controversial one point loss in the conference title game. They seem to be back on the National Radar as they fell out of annual top 25 contention for a bit. Fifteen starters from their 10-4 season return. This game will be the start of another solid season. Perhaps this one will end with a conference title and a trip to a BCS game. The Hilltoppers were 0-12 in 2009 and not many of those games were close. Nebraska should have no problems in week one. Nebraska 59 WKU 10. Brandon: Nebraska 25 WKU 3.

#10 Iowa Hawkeyes 0-0 vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers 0-0

Ricky Stanzi returns for the Hawkeyes and shouldn't run into any problems in week one against EIU. Iowa's only stumbling block in the Big Ten last season was a three point overtime loss to Ohio State. The race in the conference could be just as tight again as the two schools both had BCS victories. Iowa will start out with what should be a boring blowout. I give the panthers one late game sympathy touchdown. Iowa 60 E. Ill. 10. Brandon: Iowa 28 EIU 12.

#11 Oregon Ducks vs. New Mexico Lobos

Oregon went through a lot of drama last season with the infamous punch from Legarrette Blount in the season opener against Boise State. They also lost their starting quarterback Jeremaiah Masoli who was kicked out of school for drug possession. Had he returned they'd have 10 starters on offense back. They still have a lot of talent back and look to reload after their Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State. The Lobos had trouble of their own last year but that took place among the coaching staff. All the problems resulted in a 1-11 season in the top heavy Mountain West Conference. They have a freshman quarterback leading the way for a young offense. The defense is also very young with only one senior. No chance at a victory in Autzen Stadium. Oregon 40 UNM 17. Brandon: Oregon 37 UNM 13

#12 Wisconsin Badgers 0-0 @ UNLV Rebels 0-0

The Rebels were nearly bowl eligible last season and had an early season upset with a 23-21 victory over Oregon State. In '08 they had a surprising victory against Arizona State in the season opener. UNLV apparently plays well with AQ conference foes at home early in the season. Omar Clayton will have another set of good wide outs to throw the ball too. They won't have a Pac-10 foe in sin city this time. Wisconsin was 10-3 last year and have ten returning starters on offense. Scott Tolzien looks to flirt with a 3,000 yard season. I don't see a hometown Vegas team getting the upset this time. Wisconsin 38 UNLV 23. Brandon: Wisconsin 34 UNLV 20.

#14 Penn State Nittany Lions 0-0 vs. Youngstown State Penguins 0-0

The Penguins will be a great opponent for Penn State to break in their new quarterback. Joe Paterno still hasn't named his starter but whoever it is will have a very experienced offensive line led by Stefen Wisniewski. They will likely play more than one QB early until one of them rises above. The competition is between Matt McGloin, Kevin Newsome, and Robert Bolden. The Nittany Lions look be in the top of another tight Big Ten conference and look to build of of their 11-2 2009 season. PSU 55 Youngstown 16. Brandon: PSU 45 Youngstown 9.

#16 LSU Tigers 0-0 vs. #18 North Carolina Tar Heels 0-0 (Neutral Field)

This game between the Tigers and Heels will be very intriguing. Neither teams offenses were great last year but both had solid defenses. UNC is a little more experienced and have nine returning starters on both sides of the ball. They have a defense who ranked 6th in total yards allowed while LSU's D was 26th in total yards. Jordan Jefferson will have his favorite target in senior wideout Terrance Tolliver and those two could open up the running game for the Tigers. I still give the Heels defense the edge in this one. They're just more experienced and flat out better than Les Miles' defense. UNC could be a sleeper in the ACC this season. Neither team has the home field edge as they will be playing in Atlanta. Should be a solid game but don't look for much scoring offensively. Defense could score some points though. Here's upset number two this week. UNC 16 LSU 10. Brandon: LSU 21 UNC 17.

#17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 0-0 vs. South Carolina State Bulldogs 0-0

SCSU had a great 10-2 2009 season. They saw a loss to D-I AA power house Appalachian State to end their season. Running back William Ford was one yard shy of 1500 on the ground last season. If there were to be a D-I AA school to upset a D-I A school in week one ... this would be it. Having said that, GT led by quarterback Josh Nesbitt will not let that happen. Especially at Bobby Dodd stadium. Look for Ford to have a decent game. Maybe a TD or two but the bulldogs will be no match for the Yellow Jackets. GT 38 SCSU 14. Brandon: GT 34 SCSU 7.

#19 Arkansas Razorbacks 0-0 vs. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 0-0

Tenn. Tech has two tough games against D-I A schools right in a row. The season starts against Heisman hopeful and potential top 10 draft pick Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks were so-so last season in the SEC going 8-5 with all five losses being within the conference. Nearly the entire offense returns as they look to score big again. They averaged 36.0 points a game last year. That will continue in week one against the Golden Eagles. Arkansas 45 Tenn. Tech 10. Brandon: Ark. 49 Tenn Tech 6.

#20 Florida State Seminoles 0-0 vs. Samford Bulldogs 0-0

The Jimbo Fisher era in Tallahassee begins with the Bulldogs coming to town. Christian Ponder is on the national watch list as FSU tries to make a statement in the national scene where the Seminoles haven't been in a few years. They upset West Virginia in the Gator Bowl last season and hope to fair better in the ACC as they were 4-4 in conference play in 2009. Ponder could lead them to that goal. Chris Evans leads the offensive attack for Samford and he'll look for another thousand yard season. But it won't start with a week one victory. FSU 33 Samford 7. Brandon: FSU 44 Samford 7.

#21 Georgia Bulldogs 0-0 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns 0-0

The Ragin Cajuns barely missed a bowl game last year. They had a tough early schedule in which they actually upset K-State 17-15 in week two. They saw a 6-6 season end in a loss to Troy at home. Chris Masson returns at QB for ULL and will look to take advantage of a young Georgia defense. The Bulldogs Offense returns many starters but their QB is not one of them. Freshman Aaron Murray will have a very experienced receiving core as well as the O-Line. He will still have to get the bugs out of the way early. I see an upset alert early in the game but it won't end that way after Murray finds his rhythm. Georgia 28 ULL 17. Brandon: UGA 38 ULL 10.

#23 Auburn Tigers 0-0 vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves 0-0

Arkansas State had the best defense in the Sun Belt last year led by junior Linebacker Demario Davis. Auburn only saw trouble in their conference games last season. With 16 total returning starters the Tigers will try to replace star running back Ben Tate. Senior Mario Fannin and true freshman Michael Dyer will compete for the job. Fannin hasn't done much as he was more of a pass blocker last year so Dyer will likely see some solid minutes. ASU could use the inexperience at both the QB and RB positions as a weakness and exploit it if they have what it takes. It will be a great opportunity for a Sun Belt upset. Auburn may be vulnerable and could take awhile to find some rhythm, but they won't let this one slip through. Auburn 28 Arkansas State 17. Brandon: Auburn 36 ASU 9.

#24 West Virginia Mountaineers 0-0 vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 0-0

Does anybody even know what a Chanticleer is? Look out Coastal Carolina here comes Noel Devine and the Mountaineers of the Big East. I'm calling a shutout here. West Virginia 51 Coastal Carolina 0. Brandon WVU 35 CC 3.

NON TOP 25 Game

BYU Cougars 0-0 vs. Washington Huskies 0-0

The Cougars started last season off with a huge victory against the Oklahoma Sooners. They look to start the 2010 season with a victory as well with things looking a bit differently. Bronco Mendenhall has decided to use a QB platoon. Junior Riley Nelson and true freshman Jake Heaps will share the load. Nelson is a mobile lefty while Heaps is more prototypical BYU QB material. However, Riley has some experience as he backed up Max Hall last year and that is what gave him the tie against Jake Heaps who led Skyline High School to three consecutive state titles. BYU lost their all-time leading rusher Harvey Unga. Harvey missed the OU game last year but Brian Kariya and JJ Di Luigi decently filled his shoes while he was out. They also have a true freshman Josh Quezada who will see some time. I don't see a problem at the running back nor wide receiver. The Cougars are stacked at wide out. No matter who's calling the plays in the huddle, I think BYU's offense will still put points on the board. Jake Locker wants revenge as BYU was victorious in 2008 after a contraversial call and blocked PAT. Jake Heaps is from Washington and was recruited by the Huskies. This is his shot to show them what they missed out on. Locker has never played in a bowl game but is still the projected number one NFL draft pick next year. He will be looking to poor it on the true freshman who decided not to succeed him. Locker vs. BYU's experienced secondary will be a great matchup. Nobody thinks BYU two QB's or one will win this game but I see BYU winning another close one against UW. Call it biased if you wish. I don't care. BYU 27 Washington 24. Brandon: BYU 30 Wash. 28.

Monday September 6th 2010

GAME OF THE WEEK
#5 Boise State Broncos 0-0 vs. #6 Virginia Tech Hokies 0-0 (Neutral Field)

Everyone is looking forward to this game. Non-AQ haters are excited to see Boise fail. Chris Peterson's Broncos get a lot of nay sayers from being in the WAC conference. That will change next season as they make the jump to the Mountain West and they don't look to have anything less than usual success in the WAC in this farewell season. Like 2009, The Broncos open this year with their toughest matchup. They have 18 returning starters from their 14-0 season which ended in a 17-10 Fiesta Bowl victory over TCU. Kellen Moore and co. are looking to be the first Non-AQ team to contend for a BCS championship. And they have  everything in place to do so. The Hokies will look to play spoiler for the Broncos. Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams lead the offensive attack for Frank Beamer's Virginia Tech squad. They had a top ten defense last year that only returns three players. They'd better hope they can just reload rather than rebuild because Boise will not let up. With all due respect to the ACC and VT, who is eyeing for a BCS title themselves, I see their weak defense being exploited by the highest scoring offense in 2009. Chris Peterson knows how to win the big games. He's 49-4 at Boise State and I see them getting the victory in week one. Look for a shootout ladies and gentlemen. VT will have a great year, but their young defense won't be enough for this high octane offense led by Hesiman candidate Kellen Moore. Boise State 37 Virginia Tech 24. Brandon: VT 23 BSU 21.

More Movement

We all may have thought that the shakeup regarding conference movement in college football was over, and it was ... for awhile. I blogged awhile back about the Pac-10 expansion and everything that involved the University of Texas. Well, there is some news rising that has similarities involved with it.

The Pac-10 conference started all of this expansion drama. They initially wanted the University of Texas to bring five schools with it to the conference but the Longhorns decided to keep the Big XII intact and they even got their own TV rights which was a huge part of them staying put rather than leaving for the Pac-10. The Big XII now only has ten teams as Nebraska bolted for the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-10. The Mountain West Conference lost the University of Utah to the Pac-10 also. In doing so they replaced Utah's membership with Boise State moving from the WAC to the MWC. That's where everything left off.

Earlier this week there was word that Brigham Young University, the rival to Utah was going to leave the Mountain West Conference and become a football Independent with their other sports re-joining the WAC. A conference they were a part of for years. A conference they also willingly left to be a major part in creating the Mountain West in 1998 when the WAC split in half and eight schools formed the new Mountain West while the other eight remained. Why would BYU do this? Well, they aren't happy with the amount of exposure the Mountain West gives them on their TV network entitled The MTN. Almost nobody outside of the conference knows about that station and BYU has had enough with trying to gain national credibility and being a part of it. Brigham Young has their own television network that is titled BYU-TV. Tom Holmoe, BYU's athletic director has informed us that they have finished building a broadcasting facility that is state of the art. He says there's nothing like it west of the Mississippi. BYU leaving the MWC for Independence would allow them to broadcast their games on BYU-TV which is a regular station on all major cable providers. This new facility would allow them to broadcast in HD. Holmoe has also been talking to ESPN and they would broadcast some of BYU's games as well. With the TV contract with ESPN BYU believes they would have better scheduling for their football program. National television is imperative to exposure in college football.

Hearing the news of BYU's plans, Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson went into panic mode and extended invitations to Fresno State University and The University of Nevada-Reno to join the conference. Thompson stated not too long ago that there were no more intentions of expansion after the addition of Boise State. This is bad for BYU because that leaves the WAC with six schools. Not allowing them to have enough schools to compete, including BYU's non football sports. It seems that Thompson is just angry with Brigham Young and is trying all he can to intimidate them to remain in the Mountain West as nothing has yet been official.

So while the WAC explores their options to remain a conference, BYU is also weighing their options for plan B. That plan? To join the West Coast Conference for every sport except football. This would still allow their football program to be Independent. BYU being a private religious school would fit in well in the WCC as every other school is as well. However, if the WAC is able to replace Boise St., Fresno St., and Nevada the WAC may still be an option for the Cougars. It seems that regardless, BYU football will be independent and like the Texas Longhorns, will have their games broadcasted on their own TV network.

Lou Holtz, a member of ESPN's College Football Live team stated yesterday that two years from now Brigham Young would be a member of the Pac-10 conference or the Big XII. Since losing Colorado to the Pac-10 and Nebraska to the Big Ten, the Big XII conference has said it intends on remaining a ten team league. To some that doesn't seem like it will last long. Before that statement was made, there was talk that BYU and fellow member of the Mountain West the Air Force Academy were the two schools to replace Nebraska and Colorado. For now, that isn't so and for Brigham Young, anything but the Mountain West is what they seek. Perhaps they're competing with their bitter arch rival Utah as they'll get national exposure being in the soon to be renamed Pac-12. Perhaps they aren't. All I know, is I like this move for Bronco Mendenhall's football program. Their scheduling abilities will be much better than they were in the MWC. There will be national exposure for them which is a priority for the school. As a private school owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, exposure is very important to them. Not so much the money that comes along with these moves, although it is apparent that money is a factor.

Bronco Mendenhall has led his Brigham Young Cougars to 10 or more wins the last four seasons. They are one of five schools to do that with the others being Boise State, Texas, Virginia Tech and Ohio State. There's been some more recent news about the University of Hawaii having their football program go independent with the rest of their athletics playing in the WCC. Another WAC school gone. Again not looking good for the Cougars like they'd hoped. We will just have to wait and see what happens with everything as this scramble with the WAC and Mountain West unfolds.

2010 NBA Preview: The Finals

With the college football season just two weeks away from kickoff, there is more conference realignment/movement/reconstruction what have you. I fully intend on blogging on that which means it's time to complete the 2010 NBA Preview.


The classic Finals rivalry continues with another Lakers/Celtics matchup.

The Lakers are coming off of two tough series' against the Thunder and Jazz. Last season Utah was just a cakewalk for the Lakers. Jack Nicholson referred to that series as the intermission of the playoffs for the Lakers. The 2010 matchup still ends up the same result just a lot closer and more competitive. Boston comes off of a seven game series against the favorite out of the east Miami Heat. That will raise alot of eyebrows and create much press. With that spotlight, the Lakers may be able to use that against Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics. Lets look at the matchups.

The Point Guards: Rajon Rondo looks to prove his worth in the NBA as well as his worth to becoming a franchise player for the Celtics. He has Derek Fisher and Steve Blake guarding him. Rondo will have the best performance of his career in this series. D-Fish is close to the end of his career. Rondo will be too quick and smart for Fisher. I don't really know what to say about Steve Blake other than he will do nothing to threaten Rajon. Boston takes the point guard edge by a disgusting margin.

The Shooting Guards: Phil Jackson may look to have Kobe Bryant guard Rajon Rondo. That may be a good idea but it may not. Derek Fisher could do well guarding Ray Allen I guess. Ray doesn't pose that much of a threat driving to the basket. So that could be a wash. As far as the Kobe Bryant vs. Ray Allen matchup, the Lakers have the edge. Obviously. No disrespect to Ray Allen who I think will still hit some big shots for Boston, Kobe Bryant will be playing for ring number six and another NBA Finals MVP award.

The Small Fowards: Paul Pierce was the 2008 NBA Finals MVP as he made heroic performances for the Celtics. Ron Artest and Matt Barnes do not care. They will both be all over Pierce. Look for some heated battles and tempers flare. We all know Ron Artest is a hot head and Matt Barnes plays scrappy. They will get into Paul's head and cause some tention. I give the Lakers the edge here at the three.

The Bigs: This is where the series gets interesting. During the Lakers last threepeat the MVP was Shaquille Oneal each time with Kobe being the sidekick. Shaq will now be known as "The Big Shamrock". He will find himself in the Finals again as a member of the Celtics. He will likely come off the bench with Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins the starters. Glen "Baby Shaq" Davis and Jermaine Oneal will be the next bigmen off the bench. The Lakers will have Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol starting with Lamar Odom as the sixth man. L.A. also added vetern shot blocker Theo Ratliff. His minutes will be limited  but he will still be a decent presence when he's on the floor. The difference here to me is Jermaine Oneal, Daddy and Baby Shaq. KG and Gasol will be a wash as they both are a threat inside and with their jumpshots. Perkins and Bynum will battle and watch for tempers flaring there also. Some have been saying the if Perkins were healthy for game seven last year, the result would have been different. Lamar Odom is unpredictable. Some nights he's the X-Factor off the bench putting up 20 and 15. Other night's he'll have 3 points. If they can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, Boston should always have a well rested front court. A front court that is too stacked for the Lakers twin towers and Odom to handle. I cannot wait to see the big matchups between these two teams but I give the Celtics the edge here with the very much stronger bench. The Oneal's off the bench will make all the difference.

The Result: There is no doubt Kobe Bryant will put up MVP like numbers. He will battle to his best abilities for that sixth ring. But I am giving him the benefit of the doubt when I say his threepeat will end in six or seven games to Boston. Rajon Rondo and the major line on the front court  will be too much for the two-time defending champs. Rondo will utilize that front court and lead his Boston Celtics to victory as the NBA 2010-11 Champions. He without a doubt will be the Finals MVP.

2010 NBA Preview: Western Conference

Season ticket packages for college football should have arrived or be on their way this week. So it's time for the Western Conference 2010 playoff predictions and All-Playoff team. Can anybody beat the Lakers? Let's find out.

1 - Los Angeles Lakers

        Fresh off their back-to-back NBA Championship, the Lakers add Steve Blake to their roster, resign Shannon Brown and sign their two draft picks Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter. Nobody can argue that they are still the best team in the West (do I dare say best in the league). Replacing Jordan Farmar with Blake makes their bench even stronger. Some are thinking Blake is the point guard of the future in LA with D-Fish's future in question as he is seemingly aging on the court. Fisher just had his least significant season for the champs. They still have the big three and also added Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff. This could be the best Lakers team we've all seen in this generation.

2 - Dallas Mavericks

      Jason Kidd isn't showing any signs of retirement. The guy is still putting up triple doubles. Some say his time is limited as it may well be, but I still think he belongs in the argument of the Top 10 point guards in the league. The Mavs added Tyson Chandler who's had some disappointing seasons but he could still be effective for Mark Cuban's Mavs. They will have Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler for an entire season now, and of course they still have Dirk. That's three seven footers. Cuban sure does know what he's doing. The Lakers are the team to beat and he's doing what he can to compete with their twin towers in Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Look for Dallas to have their best season since the 2006 finals.

3 - Utah Jazz

     There hasn't been much love for the Utah Jazz. Even after they beat the Denver Nuggets as the 5 seed without Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. Are you kidding me? They  did lose two key players to the Bulls this off-season though. Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver didn't show any signs of wanting to resign with the Jazz. The two of them recruited ex Jazzman Ronnie Brewer. The fans in Utah were disappointed and ready to discount GM Kevin O'Connor yet again. But Kevin made up for what he lost. The Jazz traded for Al Jefferson and brought back one time Jazzman Raja Bell. Jefferson is more Malone-esque than Boozer was and provides more of a threat. He will also be better for Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur as he is more versatile and can play either the 4 or 5. With Andrei Kirilenko able to play the 3 and 4 Utah has alot of upside in their frontcourt. A front court that no other team really has. This could be Deron Williams best season yet. Jefferson has put up 20 and 10's with a terrible Minnesota team. What will he do with an All-Star point guard? If AK-47 can stay healthy and the Jazz get decent contributions from CJ Miles (who's also coming off of his best season) and new draft pick Gordon Hayward, Utah could be very dangerous. The Jazz will be debuting their new uniforms with a strong push in the playoffs.

4 - Oklahoma City Thunder

    The Durantula and OKC provided the toughest challenge for the Lakers in the western conference playoffs last season. That was only the first round. Westbrook and Durant provide the best PG, SF duo combo in the league. They acquired Morris Peterson and made moves in the draft to get Kansas big man Cole Aldrich. With Durant making a strong MVP run again, and Westbrook getting better I see a very similar Jordan-Pippen team here.  I think the Northwest division will be the most competitive this coming season which could fair badly for those who don't win the division because the rest of the conference is just as competitive. However OKC will be good enough to claim a first round home court advantage series. The future is bright for the Thunder. Maybe just a little more of a supporting cast could get them atop the conference in the next couple years.

    

5- Denver Nuggets

     Denver didn't do much in the off-season. They still haven't resigned Carmelo Anthony and it's not looking like they will. They did acquire Al Harrington to their supporting cast though. I don't really see much of an improvement to their team with the addition of Harrington. Billups is starting to get to the peak of his career (if he hasn't reached it already). Starting to become an old man of the NBA but with all due respect I believe he's still one of the best PG's in the league. Melo is melo. The frontcourt is where the questions for Denver pop up. K-Mart, and the Birdman both have struggled with injuries. Nene has put up decent numbers but I dont see enough from the Nuggets to get them a top 4 seed. Their youth in Ty Lawson, Aron Afflalo and JR Smith will be the X-Factor for getting them this far in a competitive Northwest Division. Portland will be right on their heels.  

6 - San Antonio Spurs

     Thre are many questions regarding the Spurs. They didn't really improve much this offseason either. They reached the 7th seed in the playoffs this last season but they also struggled with injuries throughout the regular season. Manu Ginobili is their most dangerous player. Tony Parker was out alot last year with an injury and that gave George Hill room to blossom. So there's talk of trading Parker because of that. With that tandem at PG I think they will still have enough to make the playoffs. They did lose Roger Mason who made big solid contributions. Duncan is nearing the tail end of his career. Richard Jefferson needs to improve off of his extremely disappointing 2009-10 season. If that happens, look for San Antonio here. As the 7 seed last year they upset the 2 seeded Mavericks. So the championship experience is still there.

7 - Portland Trail Blazers

     The Blazers are young and inexperienced. Some would say they're cursed. They've had so many injuries the past few years. All-Star Brandon Roy, the face of the franchise has even caught the injury bug. Greg Oden has become good friends with the bench because of injuries too. If they can get through those injury woes, Portland can be dangerous. Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, and Marcus Camby headline the veteran experience for this young team. LeMarcus Aldridge has alot of upside and he remained healthy all year last season. Portland also added sharp shooter Luke Babbitt from Nevada and signed Wesley Matthews to a disgustingly high contract. The Blazers have everything they need to be a top 4 seed. But I don't see it this coming year. With all the injuries and new key players in Babbitt and Matthews they will all still need to find themselves as a team. It will take more than a season for that to happen. But don't be surprised if they end up higher than seven.

8 - New Orleans Hornets
 The spot for the eighth seed is going to be a close one. Of course the Suns will be in the running but losing Amare and replacing him with virtually nobody is a huge blow. He was the X-Factor for Phoenix last season. Turkoglu will have a great year but I'm not sure the Suns have enough to make it. I believe the LA Clippers could also land here. Memphis is another team in the running. Houston took 9th last year but even if Yao does come back healthy, I still see the Hornets here at eight. Chris Paul is back for sure now. No more questions after the Darren Collison trade. I love the addition of Trevor Ariza. Marcus Thornton was a stud last season and he could start at the 2. Paul, Thornton, Ariza, David West and Emeka Okafor will be a solid starting lineup. Peja the sixth man and newbies Quincy Pondexter and Craig Brackins will get some playing time too. New Orleans will rebound after a disappointing injury filled season. But they still don't have enough to get any higher than the 8th seed. Even with CP3 running the show.

First Round

1 Lakers beat 8 Hornets 4-1

2 Mavs beat 7 Blazers 4-2

3 Jazz beat 6 Spurs 4-2

4 Thunder beat 5 Nuggets 4-3

1 Lakers beat 4 Thunder 4-3
3 Jazz beat 2 Mavs 4-2

1 Lakers beat 3 Jazz 4-3

     I know I said before that the Mavericks have the best matchup for the Lakers with their own smaller and less prominent big three, but I still think Utah has the edge over them. Home Court advantage means nothing for the Mavericks. Last season they had about the same record at home than they did on the road and that served as a negative aspect for them as San Antonio upset them. I think Utah is too powerful for Dallas. Deron Williams will have the edge over the aging Jason Kidd and he usually plays with a chip on his shoulder in his hometown of Dallas. Also, Okur, Jefferson, AK-47 and Millsap are just better than Chandler, Haywood and Marion. Dirk will still do his thing but Utah's frontcourt is too good for the rest of the Dallas frountcourt.

    The Thunder will provide yet another tough matchup for the champs but yes the Lakers will rise again out of the west after an extremely tough first two rounds. Utah will find themselves in the conference finals for the first time since 2007. The Jazz made an unexpected appearance there but got manhandled by San Antonio 4-1. Utah has since kicked the San Anotnio monkey off their back,  but this time the Jazz will fall to the Lakers who always seem to have their number. Having said that it will be a competitive series. Raja Bell will be all over Mr. Kobe Bryant. Deron Williams will be the star for Utah as there is really no threat for him at the point. It is the frontcourt that will make the difference in the series. Kirilenko, Millsap, Jefferson, Okur and Fesenko (if he resigns with the Jazz) still won't be enough to handle Gasol, Bynum and Odom even though I don't see Ron Artest being much of a factor. I see the home team winning each match and the Lakers make their run for another three-peat in the Finals.

All Conference Playoff 1st team

PG Deron Williams
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Kevin Durant
PF/C Dirk Nowitzki
PF/C Pau Gasol

All Conference Playoff 2nd team

PG Russell Westbrook
SG Jason Terry
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF/C Al Jefferson
C Andrew Bynum

Honorable Mentions

Mehmet Okur
Morris Peterson
Ron Artest
Jason Kidd
Caron Butler
Andrei Kirilenko

2010 NBA Preview: Eastern Conference

I've been wearing my new coaches sideline polo to the golf course. Got my draft day hat and Frank Gore jersey all ready for standby. Football season is only 3 weeks away and some change. That means it's time for another NBA preview to keep us occupied for a bit until the season starts. So here we go with the eastern conference playoff predictions, and all conference playoff team.

1 Miami Heat
     Yes I was a hater of LeBron's infamous decision. But I am still a realist. The bottom of the eastern conference got weaker. Miami will have a comfortable 5 or 6 game lead over the number two spot. Wade is still the man in South Beach. It is his town. He owns it. He just recruited his buddies and they'll be having a blast being the number 1 seed. Not to mention their supporting cast is ridiculous. Mike Miller's best season of his career awaits him. Let the wagon roll from South Beach.

2 Boston Celtics
     Look for Boston to remain atop the standings. They may have gotten older with the addition of Shaq or recently known as "The Big Shamrock" but they're still stacked with big guys. Perkins isn't quite to the peak of his career. KG can still put up 18's and 10's. Pierce too. Rajon Rondo is the glue of this team. He will lead them to the number 2 seed.

3 Orlando Magic
     The still got Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson needs to stay healthy all season. Carter was a distraction and they'll look to get rid of him. If that departure of Vinsanity takes place, Rashard Lewis will have more signifance with his shooting. SVG still has arguably the best bench in the league. He still knows how to win and this team has been to the finals. They will make a run in the playoffs.


4 Chicago Bulls
     This is where it all gets interesting. Chicago has improved their team greatly with the additions of Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer. With Derek Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng, look for the Bulls to be the sleepers of the east. Do not be surprised if they get far either. I won't be.

5 Atlanta Hawks
     Atlanta is just a boring team to watch when Jamal Crawford isn't on the floor. Smith, Horford and Johnson will still put up their numbers. Bibby is getting old and Marvin Williams has been a disappointment in my mind. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jamal Crawford start at the point and see rookie Jordan Crawford get some minutes at the two. Still, I dont think there's enough of a supporting cast. The Hawks are moving down in the standings.

6 Milwaukee Bucks
     I almost have the Bucks at the 5 seed this coming season. Maggette was a great addition. Jennings can only get better and if the injury bug stops biting Bogut he can compete with Bosh and Amare for the best PF in the east. The future is bright for Milwaukee but I still think the competition above them got better than they did. However, do not be surprised if they, like Chicago can raise some eyebrows this season.

7 Indiana Pacers
     Darren Collison was the perfect aquisition for this squad. They've been looking for a decent point guard for years now. He and Danny Granger are going to be the next great duo combo in the NBA. Perhaps the Westbrook and Durant of the East. I like how bright their future is. Give them a couple years and they could see some conference finals appearances like the Pacers of the late nineties.

8 New York Knicks
     Alas, the Knicks finally make the playoffs again. Felton and Amare will be a good combo with Chandler and Gallinari supporting. And I love the addition of Roger Mason. They failed on Project LeBron ... but the backup plan worked well and I'm sure they've started Project Melo for next year's free agent market.

First Round
1 Miami beats 8 New York 4-1
2 Boston beats 7 Indiana 4-2
3 Orlando beats 6 Milwaukee 4-3
4 Chicago beats 5 Atlanta 4-1

Second Round
1 Miami beats 4 Chicago 4-3
2 Boston beats 3 Orlando 4-2

Conf. Finals
2 Boston beats 1 Miami 4-3

I almost want to have the bulls upsetting the Heat in the 2nd round. But Miami has such a phenomenal supporting cast it's disgusting. I have always been a fan of Eddie House and Mike Miller. However I also think that the experience of the Celtics will overpower the inexperience of the entire Miami team (besides Wade ... and Big Z I guess.) Wade will carry this team into and through the first 6 games but it will not be enough. The most experience they have after Wades Finals MVP run in '06 is as follows. LBJ and Big Z having success but choking late in the playoffs. LBJ and Bosh's medals in the Olympics for the USA squad. Carlos Arroyo's Gold medal in the Olympics playing for Puerto Rico, and last but not least, Mario Chalmers "Shot" in the 2008 NCAA National Championship. Yeah, Boston takes this one.

All Conference Playoff 1st team

PG Rajon Rondo
SG Dwyane Wade
SF Paul Pierce
PF Chris Bosh
C Dwight Howard

2nd team

PG Derrick Rose
SG Ray Allen
SF LeBron James
PF Kevin Garnett
C Kendrick Perkins

Honorable Mentions
Andrew Bogut
Jameer Nelson
Luol Deng
Joakim Noah
Danny Granger

There ya have it for the East. Stay tuned for the West and of course, who will be crowned NBA Finals as well as the Finals MVP.

2010 NBA Preview: Awards

It may be August and the off-season still isn't over. And we're all ready to dust off the tailgating paraphenalia and call our TV providers to get the football ticket packages in a couple weeks, but it's not too early for my pre-season NBA awards predictions.

Rookie Of The Year - John Wall PG - Wizards

       This could be considered "trendy" but lets face it folks, Wall is in the best situation and the future of DC's professional basketball program lies in his hands. Even if Gilbert Arenas doesn't get traded (which it's highly unlikely that he doesn't) Wall will still sail away with this award. Give Washington five years and we may just see them in the playoffs with an MVP at point guard leading the way. Don't be surprised people. Especially with a high percentage of the talent of the eastern conference being in south beach, there's much more room for teams like Washington to be successful and perhaps be a sleeper in the playoffs. Runner Up: Demarcus Cousins C - Kings.

Most valuable Player - Kevin Durant SF - Thunder

We can all agree that Kevin is the best up and coming player of the NBA. He is the face of the next generation of NBA superstars. OKC gave the champs their toughest western conference battle in the first round of the playoffs. The team can only get better with that experience. Russell Westbrook is a huge stud and I think he belongs in the discussion for one of the top 5 point guards in the NBA. The two are very Jordan-Pippen esque. However, I think Russell Westbrook is a better sidekick. It is the Durantula's show in OKC. Last year was is breakout season. Time for him to be crowned the 2010-11 NBA MVP as he competes for a northwest division championship and a top 3 seed in the playoffs. Runner Up: Kobe Bryant SG - Lakers.

  

Most Improved Player - Blake Griffin PF/C - Clippers

Lets face it, of course Blake is going to improve as he was sidelined his entire rookie season due to an injury in the pre-season. Heck, it's hard to find Blake on the court in a Clippers jersey on a google search. However, I still think he belongs in the running for MIP. Sure Kaman will probably serve as the main target in the post but it's time for Griffin to do what he was drafted to and I think that he and Kaman could switch roles in the front court come May. The highly touted number one overall pick in the 2009 draft dominated at the University of Oklahoma. Some say he could be the next Greg Oden. Leave school early and be injury prone each year after. But the Clips do show some promise. Although it's tough living in the Lakers shadow, I think they're solid. Baron Davis, and Eric Gordon provide a great 1, 2 punch in the back court (If Baron can cool down a bit). New draft pick Aminu could be the man at the 3 and insert Blake and Kaman in there and that sounds like a much improved Clippers team to me. For my bold prediction of this year I'll say that the Clippers contend for the 8th seed in the west. Look for Blake Griffin's numbers to be high up on their teams stat sheet. Runner Up: Al Jefferson PF/C - Jazz

Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard C - Magic

    No surprise here. And it shouldn't be either. No one has really challenged Superman in winning this award the last two years. No disrespect to Josh Smith, but Dwight has this one in the bag. Also no disrespect to Shaq but Howard really does remind me of a deisel. He is the Shaq of this upcoming generation. His dominance in the post has been the main force of Orlando's success atop the Eastern Conference standings these past years, including their surprising and impressive victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 East Finals. Look for Dwight to hoist that trophy for a third consecutive season. Runner Up: Josh Smith - Hawks.

Sixth Man of the year - Paul Millsap PF - Jazz

Now it is possible for Paul to be in the starting lineup to start the season for Utah with the injury to Mehmet Okur. Upon his arrival from the ruptured achilles, that should put Millsap back to his sixth man role. This one however will be much different from the one he played the last few seasons for Utah. Carlos Boozer was the starting power forward for the Jazz and it felt a little bit like Millsap was living in his shadow. But with Booz bolting for Chicago (which none found surprising) and Utah adding Al Jefferson to fill the void, I think Millsap could see more playing time and more significance to this team. At 6'7 he's a bit undersized. Only don't tell him that. He plays like he belongs to be considered a power forward. And he could be paired up very much next the Jefferson who will slide to the Center position often. It's time for Millsap to put up near 20 & 10's as the number one guy off the bench for Jerry Sloan. Okur, Big Al and Millsap will be the perfect frontline that all star point guard Deron Williams needs. You could also add Andrei Kirilenko in there too as he plays both the 3 and the 4. Look for Utah to be very dangerous if they stay healthy. By dangerous I mean a 2 or 3 seed come playoff time. Runner Up: Mike Miller - SG Heat

Coach of the Year - Scott Skiles - Bucks

Scott came close in the running last season and deservedly so. With John Salmons for a complete season and the addition of Corey Maggette, the Bucks are now a trendy sleeper in the East. They could very well challenge the Bulls for Central Division title. That means a potential top 3 or 4 seed. Bogut's broken leg was such a killer for the team. Not to mention is was terrifying to watch. Michael Redd's future is uncertain but regardless of the outcome that brings, look for Scotty to take this award away in what will be a close run with Tom Thibodeau and of course Jerry Sloan who's in the running every year but falls short. Runner Up: Tom Thibodeau - Bulls.

There is the award class of 2010-11. If I had to create my own I'd put the Phoenix Suns as the winners of the most disappointing season award. They may have added Hedo, but they replaced Amare with Hakim Warrik. Talk about pulling the short straw. From conference finals to no playoff appearance. Watch it all happen everybody. I'm out. 

The Decision: To Dethrone Oneself

And the survey says, "...I will take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat."

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James were all apart of the 2008 USA Olympic Men's Basketball team. Word has it they loved playing together so much that they wished they could have that opportunity together in the NBA.

Now they do.

The 2010 free agent market in the NBA has been the most anticipated ever. Besides James, Bosh and Wade other star free agents include Amare' Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, and David Lee. As of yesterday all of them have new destinations. All except Dwyane Wade. Wade was the 2006 NBA Finals MVP as he and Shaquille O'Neal brought Miami it's first NBA title. Now, they are expected to win many more because Bosh and James are joining him. Bosh has spent his entire NBA career a member of the Toronto Raptors. He was expected to make the move to Miami as he and Wade are good friends and have the same agent. However, LeBron's free agent campaign has been much more anticipated.

"The King" has been the face of the NBA since he was drafted first overall in 2003. When his first contract was up, he resigned for three years with the Cleveland Cavaleirs which leads us to today. The New York Knicks had every intention of clearing up enough salary cap space since then to resign him this year. To lure him in, they signed Amare' Stoudemire. Chicago, New Jersey, Miami, New York and the Los Angeles Clippers were all in the running of landing James. He met with all of those teams and last night made his decision. ESPN aired a live broadcast of it and it was entitled "The Decision". He there announced he was teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh who a couple days before said they were going to sign with Miami.

I have enjoyed watching LeBron play in Cleveland. They've had the best regular season record two seasons in a row. They made their first Finals appearance in 2007. James is one of three two time MVP's who haven't won a cchampionship. Steve Nash and Karl Malone are the others. The city of Cleveland is notorious for having their hearts smashed by their sports teams failing and disappointing. But never have they been betrayed by a home grown hero like LeBron. James grew up in the Akron area. The Cavs were lucky enough to win the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery and therefore select James with that #1 pick. And until yesterday, he didn't disappoint.

Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers said in a public letter to Cavs fans that LeBron will take that Cleveland sports curse with him to south beach. "The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma." The letter also said LeBron is a narcissist and self-promoted this entire event. The letter included a guarantee, "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE". "This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn." The complete letter can be found at the team website. Dan also said in an ESPN interview that LeBron gave up in the playoffs. Later today, Gilbert, who is also the owner of Fathead marked down the LeBron James cutout to $17.41, the birth year of Benedict Arnold.

LeBron wants to join forces with Wade and Bosh. He feels they can win championships continually together. He has personally and willingly taken his throne off and hung it on the shelf. This is the NBA version of the NCAA superconferences. Except this is reality. The first NBA Superteam. Cav fans are burning James' Cleveland jersey in the streets and vandalizing his billboards. Nothing hurts more than being abandoned by your own kind. No longer can he be called King James. Wade already has a championship. He is atop the scoring charts every season. He's been in Miami his entire career. James is in his world. He can't take the pressure of being the man to lead a team to victory. What kind of king doesn't carry his troops on his shoulders? What kind of king stabs his hometown in the chest for the whole world to see? What kind of king gives up in the eyes of the man he works with side by side? I'll tell you. It's the same King who willingly gives up his throne and lets his fate lie in the hands of others. A coward. That man is LeBron James. LeBron, you are no king. You are now owned by Dwyane Wade. You work on his corners. That was your decision. And to quote your NIKE campaign, we are all witnesses.