NBA Draft

I was amazed to see New Orleans get the first pick (conspiracy theories here we come!). I always like seeing things like a draft become chaotic, it adds excitement. New Orleans will draft Anthony Davis, even if their top priority was a different position, he's just too good of a player to pass up. I am for him playing PF until he bulks up and can handle the C role in the NBA. As for the other 9 teams in the top 10, this is how I think it will fall and why (not an NBA analyst, probably will get all of this wrong, but it's just my opinion)...

#1 New Orleans- Anthony Davis-PF/C-Kentucky

#2 Charlotte- Thomas Robinson-PF-Kansas-Charlotte has many holes, as do several teams. When that is the case, go with the most sure player. Charlotte has an alright back court, they need someone in the front cournt.

#3 Washington- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist-SF-Kentucky- If Charlotte doesn't draft Robinson, Washington should take him, if they do, then draft “Kid”. He brings the energy, he's got great determination and playability. Washington needs pieces too, and a center could be in the cards as well. But with Nene still on the team, do they want to take a risk on Andre Drummond becoming Kwame Brown or Hasheem Thabeet?

#4 Cleveland- Bradley Beal-SG-Florida- I haven't heard much about this guy, but he's popping up on draft boards as high as #2 (14.8ppg, 6.7rpg). Once again, if Washington doesn't get Kidd-Gilchrist, then Cleveland should (Irving's high school teammate=dynamic duo). They could use a SG, but aren't getting much offense in the front court. If they draft Beal, they'd better be sure one year in FLA was enough to start his growth.

#5 Sacramento- Harrison Barnes-SF-North Carolina- Need a SF, Barnes is next on the list. He has skills, but was outplayed last year and that hurt his draft stock.

#6 Portland- Jared Sullinger-PF-The Ohio State- Hope Sullinger has great knees, because Portland has been cursed for guys with less than stellar knees. With Sullinger at PF, Aldridge can play C full-time.

#7 Golden State- Tyler Zeller-F/C-North Carolina/Andre Drummond-C-Connecticut- Golden State lacks a scorer in the middle. With Zeller you get a complete F/C, while Drummond gives you a scorer with shot blocking ability. Zeller is more proven, Drummond has potential but also might be gone by this pick.

#8 Toronto- Jeremy Lamb-SG-Connecticut- Lamb has a lot of potential and length. He can play SF as well as SG, which could work well with Toronto with C Jonas Valančiūnas joining the team (2011 first round pick). Toronto hopefully can unlock Lamb's potential, and light a fire under him so he can truly play to his fullest.

#9 Detroit- Tyler Zeller-F/C-North Carolina/Andre Drummond-C-Connecticut- Whoever doesn't get picked by Golden State (or earlier in the draft), the Pistons draft that player, plain and simple.

#10 New Orleans- Meyers Leonard-C-Illinois- If New Orleans isn't committed to Chris Kaman, they should draft Meyers Leonard. Not as talented as the other centers or swing centers in the draft, but his size and growth could help the expanding Hornets.

*- Jared Sullinger has been rumored to have back concerns. He has had injuries in the past involving his back, and has lost a good deal of playing time because of it. He's fallen out of the top ten and I am agreeing with this. Portland has to roll the dice, but if they can rig the dice it would help the fans.

Winners- New Orleans Hornets, Portland Trailblazers- New Orleans gets the #1 pick, as well as #10. Portland jumps and takes Brooklyn's pick, getting the #6^th, as well as their own pick at #11.

Losers- Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Bobcats. The Wizards fell to #3, potentially ruining plans they'd had since the last game of the season. Charlotte has the worst season percentage-wise ever in the NBA, and don't get the #1 pick. Lastly, Brooklyn loses their only first round pick, and have to wait (unless they do massive moves to trade up) until the fourth-last pick in the draft to choose a player. New city, new arena, but not a new beginning the Nets wanted.

NJ vs LA

                                          Let the excitement continue!!!!!

It feels like a flashback to 2003. An exciting playoffs, with amazing goaltending has lead up to the Stanley Cup Final. This time though it's New Jersey facing a different southern California team in the form of the Los Angeles Kings. Both teams are riding great goaltending from Jonathan Quick and Martin Broudeur. The eight seed Kings have beaten the best the West has had to offer to get to the cup, and made it look relatively easy, only losing 2 games in the entire playoffs. Both teams have had their star players on offense playing in high gear. Both teams have made trades (LA mostly using Edmonton to build), while New Jersey famously went through a lot of trouble, and more growing pains to see Ilya Kovalchuk succeed. Kovalchuk and Ryan Carter will have to play their best to even things out with Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar.

Who will win this series- N/A- I am an Anaheim fan, therefore I will not cheer for another Pacific Division team to win the Stanley Cup, let alone another California team...rivalries, ya know? Why not cheer for New Jersey? They beat the Ducks back in 2003 in a spectacular, memorable, heartbreaking series. I just want to sit back and enjoy this series as a neutral fan.

Who will win the Conn Smythe trophy- Whichever team wins this series, their goaltender will probably win it. Quick has been solid all playoffs, and, baring a horrendous final, may be another player to win the MVP on a losing team. Broudeur has stepped up his play since round one. He wins the Cup, and the Conn Smythe, he'd be a fool not to retire.

Roscoe Smith to UNLV

                                          The Runnin Rebels are feeling mighty tall



I know I'm late with this blog, but this turned out to be better. I was angry that Roscoe Smith would pass up 30 minutes a game in Storrs to go to Las Vegas, but then I got some information that clarified things for me, as well as put together some imformation that was already known. UNLV is tournament eligible this coming season, UConn is not. UNLV just signed the 7^th best high school player in the country in the form of Anthony Bennett, while UConn has an incoming class that lacks buzz, but fills the holes in their lineup. The information I found out later from (blog site) is that Roscoe Smith wants to switch from PF to SF, and UConn with Tyler Olander and DeAndre Daniels taking up that slot, there wasn't much chance he'd get what he wanted.

Winners- UNLV, Roscoe Smith, Phillip Nolan- UNLV gets a seasoned player from a power conference (to compliment the other two transfers they are getting, as well as their high school players), Roscoe Smith gets to play on a team that surely will make the NCAA tournament this year, and next year, and gets to play Small Forward...hopefully for him. Phillip Nolan (for those of you googling him) is the signed PF out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin the Huskies recruited. 6'10, 220, a left-handed PF that will shoot the three when needed, he fills a void left by Smith. He'll start, play a lot of minutes, and learn the system, which is good, because I see him playing for at least three years at UConn.

Losers- UConn- Obviously the Huskies wanted Smith to stay, what with all the transfers, early-leavers, and no post season. They lose a veteran who knew their system, would've started, played all but 10 minutes of the game, and been a factor in their offense and defense. Now the Huskies have to figure out what kind of system is best suited for them to run this year.

I like UNLV and wish Smith the best. The anger is gone (though I wouldn't mind seeing UConn face UNLV and beat them down the road with Smith on the team), have fun in the Mountain West.

http://www.theuconnblog.com/2012/4/23/2969285/roscoe-smith-uconn-transfer-program-future

Sports Blogs

Best Is In The West

 Say what you will about the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (4 teams in the playoffs, all over 100 points). Make a case for the Central Division in the Western Conference (4 teams in the playoffs, all over 100 points). In my opinion: the best is out west, the Pacific Division to be exact. In the final year of division play before the NHL switch to four conferences (eventually I see divisions coming back), the Pacific Division was the best division in the NHL. Until around the final week and a half of the season, all five teams in the division (Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim) were all in playoff contention. Anaheim has the worst start of any team in the NHL and with the talent they have that was uncalled for. They got it together and almost completed the comeback. Dallas was always there, and even led the Pacific at times, but missed out on the playoffs by 3 wins. San Jose entered the playoffs for another year, this time the 7^th seed. Phoenix ended up with the 3^rd seed, beating a talented Chicago Blackhawks team, then took down another good team in Nashville. LA was the 8^th seed, but has dominated the playoffs, beating the President's Cup winner and defending Western Conference champions in Vancouver, then 2^nd seeded St. Louis, and finally 3^rd seeded Phoenix, losing only two games through all three series. What makes this division also better is the lack of a true cellar team. The Atlantic has the Islanders (N.Y.), the Central has the Blue Jackets (Columbus). Anaheim contested near the end, neither of the previous two teams didn't.

Best Division in The East- Atlantic

Best Division in The West- Pacific

Best Division in The NHL- Pacific

Sports Blogs

Down to Business

A little more painful than I expected, even with the sanctions the NCAA put on the Huskies (and the sanctions may still be dropped, though likely not). It's time for the UConn Huskies to get down to business and focus on their season coming this fall. May is here, some ESPN top 100 still need signing, but for the most part the waters are still.

Omar Calhoun looks to be signed up good and tight for the year (thank you basketball God). His addition to the back court gives UConn another shooter to take pressure off Boatright and Napier. Shabazz may be ready to assume full responsibility of the team (I hope so), but Boatright needs to know that he has another shooting option in the back court. R.J. Evans, being a veteran college basketball player helps the back court with leadership, as well.

Phillip Nolan is a welcome relief on a team that lost 9 of 16 players to either early exit or graduation. A local boy from my home state (Wisconsin), his 6-10, 205 body will be a a good fit in an offense that tends to run the court. He is best as a power forward, and with Roscoe Smith gone, he should be the starter unless Calhoun wants to run a small lineup like Marquette with the abundance of guards. Nolan can play all three front court positions, awesome! But as much as I'd like to see the left-handed Freshmen play at Center, if he's best at PF, he will play that. Enosch Wolf, Husky Nation is calling you out and calling on you to step up and achieve your full potential.

In researching recruiting for UConn, I found a new, signed member of the Husky family: Leon Tolksdorf, the third German-born player on the team, alongside Wolf and Giffy. A 6'7 freshmen who plays PF, I'm not as confident with this choice as I'd like to be. Phillip Nolan will have that position, and plays best there. With Tolksdorf now in the fold, it could be that Calhoun wants a front-court of Olander, Tolksdorf, and Nolan playing center. If Nolan can step up to that, I'll be more than happy. This move may be to add depth too, but with scholarships limited, even with the departures, UConn has to use them wisely. Chris Obekpa is still out there, and I wouldn't mind having him on the team and allowing him to use this season to grow.

Drummond and Lamb left for the NBA, I expected that. Alex Oriakhi transferred to Missouri, he's a senior and NBA bound after this upcoming season, that I'm okay with. Michael Bradley transferred to Western Kentucky to be closer to his ailing grandma, that I understand and send my prayers to him and his family. Roscoe Smith...WHY!?!?!?! His minutes increased to a little over 25 this season. He was going to be the starter for sure this year, maybe play 30 a game...and now transfer? He's not at this moment good enough to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft next year, and is projected to go second round or undrafted (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/results/players?id=19609&_slug_=roscoe-smith&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fdraft%2fresults%2fplayers%3fid%3d19609%26_slug_%3droscoe-smith) He is passing up a lot and has two years of eligibility left. I think it's a stupid move. Everyone remembers the Texas game in 2009 when he threw up the prayer from almost full court...leaving 7.5 seconds left for a Texas team that thankfully shot horrible that day and Kemba Walker had the ice water in his veins. Have fun Roscoe, we'll remember you for this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL3f7xxsQ6c)

UConn plays in the Paradise Jam tournament this season. George Mason, Iona, Mercer, New Mexico, Quinnipiac Illinois-Chicago and Wake Forest are also involved in the tournament. Regardless of who they face, WIN! Win the tournament and make a statement for yourselves.

Starting Lineup time. ROLL CALL!

Starting

PG- Shabazz Napier

SG- Ryan Boatright

PF-Phillip Nolan

SF-Tyler Olander

C-Enosch Wolf

Bench

PG- R.J. Evans

SG- Omar Calhoun

PF- Leon Tolksdorf

G- Niles Giffey

G/F- Deandre Daniels

G-Brendan Allen

F-Benjamin Stewart

Calhoun has a lot to work with. Daniels should flourish this year (I want him to). I want to see Brendan Allen and Benjamin Stewart used more. I want to see Enosch Wolf shock the NCAA world and show he isn't just another 7'1 guy. What style of offense will be run? They have the talent to go three-guard with Daniels and Nolan in the front court. They can also go shooters with Boatright, Napier, Calhoun, Giffy, and Daniels, or go with the traditional offense with each specific position represented on the court. This time is important! Use it to figure out what works best, learn about each other, grow, gel, and develop chemistry. Play for each other, outclass last years team and show the NCAA that nothing can stop Husky Nation!

Check out these vids for some highlights on two of the newest members of Husky Nation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mWQoe-ll3o Omar Calhoun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWFq7wCNkn0 Phillip Nolan

Sports Blogs

Anaheim Checklist

                                               (This end starts in the off-season)

Ducks season has been over for some time now, and there are a few things they need to do to make sure they don't repeat what occurred this season.

Anaheim To-Do List

Re-sign all needed players

Cut any unneeded players

Draft

Free agency

Prep for the future

Players that need to be re-signed-

Saku Koivu has been resigned, and with him on the team next year hopefully Teemu Selanne will follow. Teemu lead the team in points, he has to be signed, even if he was 100 years old.

Francois Beauchemin and Rod Pelley both need to be resigned. Pelley can put in more minutes and his contract is cheap. Beauchemin is a solid defender and the Ducks need that.

I'm all for Sheldon Brookbank and Niklas Hagman getting resigned as well. Both were good coming off the bench for Anaheim in filing minutes and contributing. They will get more ice time and know the team, and with Bruce Boudreau signed on for two more years, they need players that know the system and his style of coaching.

Players needing to be cut-

Dan Ellis must be cut. He's injury prone and unreliable. He wasn't good enough when Anaheim was suffering during the first half of the season, and he wasn't good enough last season when it was him and Ray Emery (who I think the Blackhawks got for a steal at 600,000 in the off-season). He's taking up 1.5 million that I think could be used elsewhere, and with the signing of a new backup to Hiller, Ellis is out of here (at least he should be.

George Parros can go, though I won't mind seeing him stay. His contract is cheap, he's tough...but he missed almost half the season with injuries. Parros is a toss-up.

Players I don't know what to do with

The only question mark I have is Jason Blake. He was injured a good portion of the year, his contract is 3 million dollars, he's 38 years old. Despite that, he's an experienced left wingman for the Ducks. If you cut him, the young guys need to step up to cover what he brings (that's you Hagman and Beleskey). If you resign him, a restructured contract is in order.

Explore Free Agency and the Draft

The Ducks have around 19 million in cap space to use to sign guys on their team, as well as explore free agency. What they do in the draft will determine how aggressive they are. With the sixth pick in the draft, they must draft defense. Cam Fowler was a steal and has paid off in a big way. Adding another defender to compliment the speed and ability Fowler has is ideal. A powerful defender who can score would work like a ying and yang combination in the Ducks zone. With the cap room after resigning everyone they need to resign, they may still have something around 10 million to spend on free agents. At least do some looking

Plan for the future

The Ducks will have an estimate 45.7 million in cap room (http://capgeek.com/charts.php?Team=6). Getzlaf and Perry will need resigning, as will Visnovsky, all needed players for the success of the Ducks. Teemu and Koivu and Blake will most all likely retire. Factoring all things in, along with resigning all the players that need to be signed this year, the Ducks could make several moves in the off-season of 2014, but the time is now as well.

Plan for what will happen next year, plan this off-season, and give it your all this season. Why not send the veteran players out winners?

SportsBlogs

Dead in The Desert

all stats for game 2 can be seen at http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/gametracker/recap/NHL_20120515_LA@PHO

                                  The Kings are halfway to the Clarence Campbell Bowl
 

When both Conference championships are between teams that are in the same division in each conference (Atlantic in the East, Pacific in the West), the teams tend to know each other very well. The Rangers and Devils have a history between the two of them, and that series is progressing to be a good one (series tied 1-1). Los Angeles and Phoenix have little history other than regular season matchups. The Kings are up 2-0 in the series, have lost one game in the playoffs so far (that against Vancouver at the Kings), and now are taking the series the short travel distance from the dessert to the city of angels. Phoenix lost Game 2 because they played dirty, made penalties, which cause mistakes, which cause goals against your team. Before last night, Phoenix had given up only 4 goals in almost 40 power plays during the playoffs, they gave up two last night. A 5 on 3 should resolve in a goal, so I won't blame Mike Smith, but I blame his teammates for hitting the Kings in the numbers the way they know is not tolerated by refs (especially in the playoffs). Phoenix will probably get one win in this series, but the Kings are looking really good as the West rep. for the Cup.

-Kings the 2^nd team in the last three years to win 7 straight road playoff games. Last time to do that was Chicago in 2010 (Won Stanley Cup).

-Phoenix's Martin Hanzal suspended one game for boarding Dustin Brown. Brown is frustrating the Coyotes, and it's showing