First Class Sports: 2010-06-13

June 19, 2010

Lurking

Now this is the Tiger we've all been waiting for.

He shot a 66 today to creep back into it at Pebble Beach. He enters final round play at the US Open one-under par and in third place, five strokes behind leader Dustin Johnson. It used to be situations like this that caused leaders to fold, knowing the world's greatest golfer was charging. We'll see how Johnson handles the situation for, really, the first time in his career.

If Tiger Woods is back, he started to show it yesterday and will have to show it again tomorrow.

RIP

One of the nicest human beings to ever play in the NBA, by all accounts. Let's hope Manute Bol's efforts to aid his native Sudan are not lost with his passing.

June 18, 2010

Travesty

The revised Top 10 NBA players since 1979

Why the accompanying picture of Kobe? Because he's sort of fumbling both the Finals trophy and the Finals MVP trophy, which is sort of a microcosm in a sense of his Game 7 last night. I can't believe that Pau Gasol wasn't the MVP of the Finals except that I can--voters almost always vote for the biggest star for these awards, even if someone played better. The only exception since 1991 was when Tony Parker won instead of Tim Duncan in 2007.

As I was watching Kobe in Game 7, my thought was that if the Lakers lost that the new standard of Game 7 meltdowns would be Kobe in 2010. But since the Lakers managed to rally to win, John Starks in 1994 retains the title, one I'm sure he doesn't want to keep. Kobe at one point was 4-for-19 from the floor. Process that for a second. He finished 6-for-24, including 0-for-6 from three-point range and had a game-high four turnovers. He even missed four free throws. Somehow, he still ended up with 23 points and 15 rebounds.

Anyway, now that Kobe has won his fifth title, been named the Finals MVP for a second time and beaten the rival Celtics, it's time to again look at his legacy. In doing so, I'm going to update my rankings of the 10 best players since 1979, when the NBA started to matter (and because I didn't see anyone before that).

1. Michael Jordan: Remains in a class by himself. Every time someone ratchets up the silly Kobe/MJ comparisons, Kobe does something to remind us why he isn't as good as Mike (like last night's stinker). But it's not a knock on Kobe to say he isn't as good as Jordan because no one is as good as Jordan. We won't ever see a player like Jordan again simply because no one is so pathological when it comes to winning as Jordan was (and continues to be when in the casinos). Keep this in mind about Jordan's career: he only had two real stinkers in the Finals (Games 4 and 6 in 1996 against Seattle, an amazingly low number for having played in 35 Finals games), he was the best offensive weapon in the league from 1986-1998 (save the two years he was off playing baseball) and he was briefly the best perimeter defender in the league (1987-1990) and then spent the 1990s being the second best perimeter defender in the league (behind teammate Scottie Pippen). Once Jordan put it all together in 1990, he simply didn't have a single weakness to his game (the only other player in my lifetime who came close to not having a weakness was Tim Duncan but he was a mediocre free throw shooter). Combine that with his cold-blooded killer personality--Jordan didn't just want to beat you but he wanted to suck every last bit of will you had left right out of you--and he was by far and away the best. The guy won six MVP trophies. It should have been eight.

2. Tim Duncan: Hugely underrated because he played in a small market, didn't outwardly show off his personality, didn't play a flashy game (hence his nickname, "The Big Fundamental") and wasn't white (preventing the old crusty sportswriters from singing his praises constantly). His only weakness was free throw shooting but even that wasn't an abomination. He was probably the best low-post defender I ever saw (Dennis Rodman was really good too). Won the MVP in 2002 and 2003 and should have won in 1999 but was only in his second year and didn't garner any hype for the same reasons his career has been underrated. Later in his career started saving himself for the playoffs because big men start to break down easier and, consequently, never broke down. Like Jordan, he never lost in a Finals series, going four-for-four. Was the MVP in three of them and should have been in all four. Probably should have won two more rings but was denied by Derek Fisher's miracle shot in 2004 and Manu Ginobili's terrible foul in 2006. Best playoff performer of the 2000s. All-NBA first team nine times in his first 10 seasons and first or second team All-Defensive every year of his career, including the just completed one. When he was younger, occassionally defended point guards--successfully. Two things about Duncan really stand out to me. The first is Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals, one of the forgotten great individual performances of all-time when he clinched the title with an epic near quadruple-double 21-20-10-8 game. The others are the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In 2001 he dragged the Spurs to 58 wins and the conference finals even though their best perimeter scorer was Derek Anderson. In 2002 he lifted them to 58 wins and the second round of the playoffs even as no other player on the team averaged even 13 points per game and their leading perimeter scorer was an aging Steve Smith at a paltry 11.6 points per game (wait, how did this team win 58 games?). When Kobe had similarly decripit teammates (and in fairness to Duncan, he did have an on-his-last-legs David Robinson who, while bad offensively, remained a good defender), he couldn't win a playoff series and demanded to be traded. Has to be mentioned when explaining why Duncan ranks ahead of Kobe on my list.

3. Magic Johnson: Terrible defender aside, Magic had the most versatile offensive game of all-time as his 19-11-8 career averages prove. His epic 42-15-7-3 filling in at center, as a rookie, for the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to clinch the 1980 championship remains one of the truly legendary performances of all-time. Overcame getting Paul Westhead fired and a truly awful 1984 Finals that briefly had him renamed "Tragic Johnson" to develop a killer instinct and become one of the two defining players of the NBA's peak in the 1980s, which was best defined by the junior hook over Kevin McHale and Robert Parish that won Game 4 of the 1987 Finals to essentially seal that championship for the Lakers. Magic was the rare player who could completely control a game without taking a single shot (only other players I saw who could do that: Larry Bird and LeBron James) and who got the best out of everyone around him because of his happy-go-lucky personality, his incredible will to win (which he developed as his career went along; unlike Jordan, Bird and Kobe he wasn't born with it) and his unmatched passing skills to set his teammates up for easy baskets both in transition and in the half-court. He definitely was the wizard behind Showtime. He was first team All-NBA his last nine full seasons, was the league MVP three times and Finals MVP three times (and he should have won in 1988 also but James Worthy won because of his Game 7 monster 36-16-10 to beat the Pistons). Magic was also the greatest winner of his era, reaching the Finals nine times and winning five of them. The only things that really make me think slightly less of Magic (and neither of them affect his ranking) is the 1991 Finals, when Phil Jackson decided to put Scottie Pippen on him beginning in Game 2 and essentially rendered Magic ineffective (and he still averaged and 18-12-8 although that's somewhat skewed by a monster 20-assist game in Game 5, which was the one that eliminated the Lakers and ended the Showtime era), and the 1996 comeback that we all agree to claim never happened. Even the 1984 Finals don't negatively sway me much because of the way he bounced back from them.

4. Larry Bird: Ranked slightly below Magic because he lost two of the three Finals they played head-to-head, even though I can't definitively say Magic was better. The only tougher player I ever saw was Jordan and the only player more pathological I ever saw about winning was also Jordan. MJ was also the only player who was more clutch. He was slow, couldn't jump and wasn't much of a defender but he brought the best out of everyone around him, was the most deadly shooter I ever saw and was the best closer of the 1980s. One of two players in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards (Bill Russell was the other). Had the greatest basketball sense I have ever seen, if that makes any sense, in that he understood better than anyone else what was going to happen before it happened. The best example of this is the famous steal of Isiah's inbounds pass in the '87 playoffs (which was maybe the best play I have ever seen and definitely the best call ever, by legendary Celtics voice Johnny Most). He also won the best duel I have ever seen, the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the '88 playoffs against Dominique Wilkins (immortalized by Brent Musburger's "You are watching what greatness is all about!"). He won the championship three times and was the Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986 (and somehow wasn't in 1981 when he averaged a 15-15-7; Cornbread Maxwell won it instead with an 18-10). His career didn't last as long as some others (sort of like both Jordan and Magic) because he was always throwing his body around to get rebounds and to grab loose balls and it eventually caught up to him with his back injury but even with his back in traction he could emerge as a game-changer. Wish we could have seen a Jordan-Bird duel in their primes--say, the 1984 Bird against the 1993 Jordan.

5. Kobe Bryant: Just slightly ahead of Shaq because I feel like Shaq wasted a lot of years in his career. Best closer of his era. Most competitive player of his era. Hardest worker of his era. Seven trips to the Finals with five championships (and counting) with two as the best player on his team. Two Finals MVPs, although I feel like he shouldn't have won it this year (Pau Gasol should have). Very, very good one-on-one defender although mediocre at best in all other defensive situations. Has the ability to be the best all-around player ever but not the mindset because too often winning his way was more important than just winning. Just as Magic overcame getting Westhead fired and the "Tragic Johnson" moniker, Kobe overcame running Shaq and Phil Jackson out of LA and a trade demand to reach three consecutive Finals (and counting) and win two of them (although it has to be noted that it took Jackson coming back and Memphis gift-wrapping Gasol to LA in one of the most lopsided deals ever for it to happen). Delivered one of the great playoff games of all-time in 2001 against the Kings which remains the best game he ever played (48 points, 16 rebounds). Once scored 81 points in a game, although I'm not sure if that adds to or detracts from his legacy. The one thing that does detract from his legacy are the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons when Kobe, in his prime physical years, missed the playoffs once and lost in the first round of the playoffs twice (has any other star player ever gone through a season as bad as 34-48 while in the midst of their prime?). Ignoring those three seasons when evaluating Kobe's place is dishonest at best. Modeling his game and mannerisms around Jordan's probably caused people (myself included) to underrate him and detract from his accomplishments because they were too busy looking at him in comparison to Jordan as opposed to simply looking at him for what he is, which is one of the all-time greats. That being said, he certainly did a lot to cause that himself by running out Shaq and Jackson and the whole Colorado incident. Ben Roethlisberger needs to study what Kobe did from 2004 onward to make people completely ignore that sexual assault case; Kobe was actually charged, Roethlisberger never was.

6. Shaquille O'Neal: Six Finals appearances, four championships, three as the alpha dog of his team, three-time Finals MVP. Only had one real peer during his career, that being Duncan. As Shaq has gone through his decline phase and bounced around from team to team, I kind of feel like people have forgotten just how dominant he was during the 2000, 2001 and 2002 playoff runs for the Lakers. Or that six years ago, there were many who felt Shaq was the most dominant big man of all-time, something no one has ever said about Tim Duncan (maybe Spurs fans) and no one outside of Lakers fans has ever called Kobe the most dominant perimeter player of all-time. If Shaq had retired after winning the 2006 title with the Heat, I feel like people would still regard Shaq as the dominant force he was and that he would still be regarded as better than both Kobe and Duncan. But instead we've seen him decline since then and that's more fresh in people's minds. I haven't seen Shaq as having had a better career than Duncan since 2005 and only now am putting Kobe ahead of him and that's more because of Kobe's desire to be great that Shaq didn't have. Shaq relied entirely on his physical gifts and rarely was motivated to work out and be dominant. There were only two seasons where Shaq really cared about dominating. The first was 1999-2000, which was when Phil Jackson came in and taught he and Kobe how to win. Shaq won his only MVP award that year (how is it possible that Shaq only has one MVP award?). The other was 2004-2005, when an angry Shaq killed himself to get in shape and prove the Lakers wrong for choosing Kobe over him. Though not as statistically dominant, he altered his game to win with the Heat and should have won the MVP that season (Steve Nash won instead). You could argue that the 1994-95 season with Orlando could fall into that category as well, when he led the Magic to the Finals. But that's it. Three seasons of absolute dominance from arguably the most dominant player of all-time. Somewhere along the line, he decided to stop getting in shape and working out during the offseason, instead decided to "play himself into shape" during the regular season to peak in the playoffs. That isn't necessarily the wrong way to go, especially for big men whose bodies break down faster because of all the weight they have to carry, and it worked to the tune of those four rings and six trips to the Finals (and he may well have won in 2005 as well had Dwyane Wade not been injured in Game 6 of the East Finals against Detroit). But those dominating playoff performances made you wanting more of him from the regular season. Instead, he would put off surgeries until the start of the season and not dominate until the playoffs, which was one source of Kobe's anger toward him. That all being said, we cannot forget just how dominant those playoff runs were. Really, I probably should rank him in a tie with Kobe.

7. Hakeem Olajuwon: When Jordan retired after the '93 season, all of the great stars of the era felt this was now their chance to win a ring. Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and John Stockton, David Robinson, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal all failed. Scottie Pippen failed to do so as his team's best player. So did Clyde Drexler. Olajuwon succeeded and won two (with Drexler joining him for the ride the second year). Then Jordan returned and the window was closed except for Shaq (who was still extremely young at the time) and Robinson (who deferred to Tim Duncan to win two rings as a sidekick late in his career). Hakeem was sort of like Kobe. He openly feuded with his team, once being suspended by the Rockets for refusing to play in a game due to a hamstring injury even though doctors cleared him. He even threatened to sue the team over the incident. He even demanded a trade after declaring he didn't want to play for Houston anymore. That demand came on the heels of the 1992 season, when the Rockets went 42-40 and missed the playoffs. Two years later, with Jordan playing baseball, Olajuwon was the undisputed king of the mountain, winning the league MVP in 1994 (even though I think Pippen should have won) and being named Finals MVP when he annihilated Ewing in a much-ballyhooed battle of centers. The following season, the Rockets seemed to be in trouble and finished sixth in the West. Improbably, they rallied to sweep the NBA Finals with Olajuwon dominating a young Shaq, who had a fine offensive series but was embarrassed at the defensive end (and give an assist to Nick Anderson for blowing four free throws, any one of which would have sealed a Game 1 win for the Magic). Hakeem also dominated and destroyed newly minted MVP David Robinson in the conference finals, averaging 35 points a game in the six-game series win. So he rallied, much like Kobe did, from wanting out to becoming the toast of Houston. He probably had the best and most complete arsenal of offensive moves of any center who ever played and his footwork was unmatched. Oh, and I haven't yet mentioned that he led the Rockets to the 1986 Finals, in just his second season in the league, where they lost in six to what is considered by most to be the greatest Celtics team of all-time. For his part, Hakeem put up a 25-12 for the series.

8. Isiah Thomas: His failure at everything since retiring as a player has overshadowed a great career, including three trips to the Finals and two championships. He understood perfectly what it meant to be an elite point guard, setting up teammates for 42 minutes before dominating the last six, or taking over when his teammates weren't converting. Quiet and soft-spoken off the court, he was probably the most ferocious trash talker ever to play on the court and his willingness to never back down personified the Bad Boys era Pistons that won the 1989 and 1990 titles and lost in 1988, when Isiah had his greatest individual moment in Game 6 when he scored 25 points in the third quarter despite a severly injured ankle. He was despised by opponents, so much so that he was blackballed off the 1992 Dream Team by Jordan (who reportedly refused to be a part of it if Isiah was) and others, which he absolutely should have been a part of. That being said, the fact that opponents hated him so much is probably part of his greatness. Two things about Isiah bring him down just a peg: the idiotic comments about Bird being overrated because he was white and the boneheaded moment where Bird stole the ball on his inbounds pass just a few days prior.

9. Moses Malone: His career was eerily reminiscent of Shaq's in that he moved a couple of times during his peak, then bounced around the league during his decline. Shaq has now played for five teams and is hoping to find another to take him on for next season. Moses played for two teams as a rookie, two teams during his peak years and five teams at the end of his career. He played two games for the Buffalo Braves as a rookie, then was traded to the Rockets where he began his dominant run, leading an undermanned Houston team to the 1981 Finals where he averaged a 22-16 in defeat to the Celtics. The following season he won his second MVP award, then was traded to the Sixers following the year when he signed a lucrative offer sheet with Philadelphia. All he did for the Sixers in 1983 was win the MVP of the league and of the Finals as Philadelphia won the championship. He destroyed Kareem, averaging a 26-18 in the series which the Sixers swept. Like Shaq, feuding with management led to his trade away from Philadelphia and he vowed to dominate them (just as Shaq vowed to make the Lakers pay for dealing him) but by that point he had entered his decline (though he did briefly turn Washington into a contender and had a couple solid years in Atlanta). Had Moses retired after the 1990 season, he may be regarded as one of the two or three best centers of all-time (sort of like Shaq after 2006, although Shaq's personality has kept him regarded in such high regard) but he hung around another six years and fell off the face of the earth. Still, Moses was the best big man of the 1980s. (And yes, I know Kareem was around in the 1980s but his best years were in the 1970s and this list is about the 1979 and on period. In that period, Moses was the better player, although Kareem did have one last period of dominance in the 1985 Finals).

10. LeBron James: He has yet to win a title. When he does, he jumps ahead of Isiah. Should he win three, he probably jumps Kobe. Should he get to five, he passes Duncan. If he doesn't win any and someone like Kevin Durant or Dwight Howard do, Durant and/or Howard jump him. The story is still to be written. All I know is the Lakers window to win championships is probably two more years and the Celtics window is probably closed so someone is going to win those in the 2013, 2014 and beyond. Given that LeBron has already won two MVPs (and could have legitimately won as many as five), been to a Finals and delivered one of the great playoff performances of all-time with his 48 Special in 2007, I'd say he's the best bet to capitalize on that opening window. As long as he doesn't go to the Knicks.

June 17, 2010

Repeat!

Canadiens trade playoff hero to St. Louis

So much for joining a goaltending lineage that includes Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy.

A month or so after completing his run as arguably the signature player of the 2010 playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens have traded goaltender Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues for two prospects (Lars Eller and Ian Schultz).

In so doing, the Habs have opted to go with the younger, more inconsistent and also cheaper Carey Price who routinely was pulled and booed by Montreal's demanding fans. The Blues, meanwhile, make their first attempt to have an upper-tier goaltender since Curtis Joseph was in the nets some 15 years ago.

June 16, 2010

David Silver to marry Megan Fox

Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox are engaged. How on earth could this:

...manage to score this:

The other Touchdown Jesus goes down

In a sense, it would have been quite symbolic in some weird, perverse way had Touchdown Jesus on the Notre Dame campus been destroyed by a lightning bolt. Given that Notre Dame football has essentially died as major power, the destruction of that statue would have been the symbolic end to their football dominance, even if the actual end came roughly 15 years ago.

But the Touchdown Jesus in South Bend still stands, even as Notre Dame football goes the way of Army football and Navy football, once relevant but now completely irrelevant (actually, I take that back--Army and Navy both remain relevant in football one day a year, when they play each other). The same cannot be said of the "Touchdown Jesus" in Ohio, just north of Cincinnati.

Nicknamed as such because the Jesus statue's arms are raised like a referee signaling a touchdown, the 60-foot tall statue lasted just six years before being taken down by a lightning bolt and burning to the ground. "Burning to the ground" is probably an accurate metaphoric way for describing the state of Notre Dame football.

Devils should consider dealing Brodeur

Would the Devils consider trading Martin Brodeur? Absolutely not, says general manager Lou Lamoriello in response to a rumor making the rounds that the Capitals would trade Alexander Semin to New Jersey for the winningest goaltender in NHL history.

I think Lamoriello should reconsider. Brodeur is indeed headed for the Hall of Fame, does in fact have more wins than any other goaltender in league history and has in fact won the Stanley Cup three times. He also continues to play at a high level.

However, it's also true that Brodeur is now 38 years old and, for all of his regular season success in recent years, his reputation as a big-time, money goaltender has taken a severe hit. He was benched by head coach Mike Babcock prior to the medal round of the most recent Olympics, replaced by Roberto Luongo. And since winning the Stanley Cup Final in 2003, Brodeur has won a grand total of one playoff series despite the Devils often being the favored team (like this season, for example, when the Devils flamed out against the Flyers with barely a whimper in the opening round). His collapse in the final minutes of Game 7 of the Devils first round series in 2009 against Carolina cannot be ignored either.

Brodeur has in fact been a great goaltender but one cannot say with a straight face that he has been one any time recently. Skeptics (not saying I am or am not one) will point out that Brodeur's great reputation as a money goaltender died the moment he lost Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens (following the 2003 playoffs) and Hall of Fame-bound defenseman Scott Niedermayer (following the 2004 playoffs) and that his performance without them just proves that Brodeur wasn't that great and was simply the beneficiary of great defensive play in front of him. Kool-Aid drinkers will say that Brodeur has remained a pillar of strength and the Devils have stopped winning playoff series because they have failed to put quality players in front of him, starting with the failure to replace Stevens and Niedermayer.

Most likely, the answer lies somewhere in between, although there is no doubt whatsoever that Brodeur had the most talented team in front of him at the Vancouver Games and, armed with such power, he managed to cough up his job to Luongo.

I don't think Brodeur is going anywhere simply because I believe he, in addition to having a no-trade clause, is the Steve Yzerman or Mario Lemieux of his franchise and won't ever be traded (and he's not like Ray Bourque, who was traded at the end of his career because he never could win the Cup in Boston; Brodeur has his name on the Cup three times already). But I do think Lamoriello should seriously consider it. And if Semin, 26 years of age, is offered up by Washington for Brodeur, I think Lamoriello should approach Brodeur about waiving that no-trade clause.

Chip Brown gets the last word

Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com was the person all over the college realignment story that ended up being for naught. His reporting first got the story into the public eye and he was always the first to break the big news, culminating with Monday when he and ESPN's Joe Schad had contradicting reports but his was right.

So it's probably worth reading Brown's recap and analysis of all that went down (which wasn't much, other than Texas gaining even more control in a smaller conference). Brown didn't include himself in the list of winners but he probably should have. No one outside of Austin, Texas had ever heard of him before a couple weeks ago and now everyone knows who he is. One figures it to only be a matter of time before ESPN hires him.

June 15, 2010

Izzo stays at Michigan State, back to drawing board for Cavs

Not that it comes as any great surprise but Tom Izzo has spurned overtures to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, opting instead to stay at Michigan State where he will continue on as the best coach in the nation. He declared he will never again entertain an NBA offer.

Apparently this was some tough decision for Izzo, leading many to believe there are problems inside the university's athletic department that were turning him off. But in staying, Izzo probably flies past Jud Heathcote in the Michigan State legendary scale, a place he already should be given that he has already accomplished a lot more than his mentor ever did even though he has never had a player even remotely comparable to Earvin Johnson.

No one believed Izzo would leave until LeBron James declared he would stay in Cleveland. In that sense, it's somewhat surprising that he made his intentions known now, although it definitely is best for Michigan State that they know who their coach is going to be. The Cavaliers head coaching search won't conclude until around July 10, at which point James should have a team picked out. Three other suitors (Bulls, Knicks, Nets) have their coach, a fourth (Clippers) is waiting it out and the incumbent probably won't be able to make a hire until they know if James is in the fold or not.

Most presume Byron Scott is now the first choice for the Cavaliers but one has to believe Scott would prefer to wait and see not only about James but also about the Lakers coaching job. Many have speculated Scott as a natural fit to replace Phil Jackson should Jax retire.

Alright stop! Collaborate and listen!

The Yankees and Red Sox have no shot of catching the Rays, not after word has broken that Vanilla Ice will be playing at their summer concert series. If his appearance on July 9 won't draw fans to the Trop, nothing will.

Kerr leaving post as Suns GM; TNT awaits

Ironic, isn't it? Steve Kerr was hired by Suns owner Robert Sarver to cut back payroll and, in doing so, Kerr also built the best Suns team since 1993. How is Kerr rewarded? By failing to work out a new deal to remain as Suns general manager. Thus, Kerr is out and the Suns are looking for a new GM.

Kerr has said the decision was solely his but he also had previously said that he intended to work out a new deal to remain with the team, what with his contract expiring at the end of the month. So something happened, whether it was Sarver going cheap in his attempt to keep Kerr or Kerr himself deciding he wanted to return to television.

Speaking of television, Kerr is now positioned to return to TNT as their lead analyst and leaving the Suns now probably gives him a leg up on the position over Doc Rivers, who is rumored to retire as Celtics coach following the NBA Finals. With Doug Collins leaving the post to go fail as Sixers coach, the spot is open and now Kerr is in position to take back the job. So maybe Kerr is leaving now to make sure he gets in the Turner ears before Doc does. Oh, that sly Steve Kerr!

Just call it the Texas Rules Conference

Here's what it took to get Texas to stay in the Big 12:

Chase off Nebraska and Colorado, the two strongest teams in the north.

Essentially eliminate the conference championship game.

Strike a new television deal that gives Texas more than an equal share of the revenue.

Allow Texas to start their own television network.

When it comes time to negotiate my contracts going forward, I really wish I could hire DeLoss Dodds to do it for me. The Big 12 now is essentially a 10-team Texas invitational when it comes to football. The annual Texas-Oklahoma Red River Shootout game in early October is now essentially the conference championship with the game's winner needing only to beat a bunch of significantly weaker opponents to win the crown.

Texas essentially put themselves at a greatest competitive advantage than its nine league partners but gaining even more money while weakening their competition and making it easier for them to win the conference. I can't see the other schools happily living under these rules for long. If I'm Missouri and Kansas, I'm making sure the Big 10 and Big East know that I'm still available.

June 14, 2010

Does Jackson's legacy change if the Lakers lose?

The Celtics completely dominated the Lakers last night, in winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The series shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Tuesday night and, if the Lakers can win that one, a decisive Game 7 on Thursday night.

Anyone who watched the last two games cannot help but think the Celtics are the better team. Aside from the third quarter yesterday, they have smothered Kobe Bryant on their defensive end. The Lakers have been unable to prevent Rajon Rondo from getting into the paint. Paul Pierce has figured out how to score on Ron Artest. And the Lakers bigs--thought to be an advantage at the start of the series--have been pushed around since Game 2 with Pau Gasol reverting to his soft ways and Andrew Bynum turning into a limping non-factor. And even when the Celtics veterans have looked old, the young guys have stepped in to save them. Based on this series, is there any doubt you trust the Boston bench mafia--Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen--more than you trust the Lakers bench (other than Lamar Odom)?

So here is my question: if the Lakers lose this series, how is Phil Jackson's legacy affected? Is it hurt because he will have never beaten the historic Celtics en route to a championship? Is it just a footnote that, after winning his first nine trips to the Finals, he will have lost three of the last four?

Discussion points only, although I don't think a loss should hurt his legacy. Then again, I'm sure Red Auerbach would disagree.

Brown vs. Schad: Who do you believe?

As the Big 12 world turns continues today with conflicting reports! Oh happy day! Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com, who has been ahead of everyone else in this entire conference realignment story, is reporting that conference commissioner Dan Beebe has somehow convinced Texas to stay, saving a 10-team conference that is now minus Nebraska and Colorado.

Contradicting this report is ESPN's Joe Schad, who reports that the move of Texas to the Pac-10 or Pac-16 or whatever it's supposed to be called is imminent. All sources agree that Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech will stick with Texas, so if Schad is right, those four will all go to the Pac-10 and if Brown is right, those four will stay in the Big 12.

But wither Texas A&M? It appears that they are still considering all options, including joining Texas in the Pac-16, sticking with Texas in the 10-team Big 12 and venturing out on their own to the SEC.

Brown's report contradicts all of his other reports that indicated Texas was as good as gone to the Pac-10, which is fantastic irony in and of itself. Skeptics among us believe that both Brown and Schad are correct in their latest scoops. Brown would be right that Texas would in fact be willing to stay in a 10-team Big 12 (Beebe, presumably, has guaranteed big dollars in a new television deal while also allowing Texas to start their own network). Schad would be right that Texas and the others are gone because Texas A&M is gone (most believe A&M is as good as gone to the SEC). If there's no Texas A&M, there's no 10-team conference, paving the way for Texas (and the others) to leave.

This sounds like the dream scenario for Texas, which can then leave and publicly place the blame for the death of the conference on Texas A&M, Nebraska and Colorado for jumping ship, even though all three (well, maybe not Colorado) jumped ship because Texas' indecisiveness put the conference on shaky ground in the first place.

I don't foresee Texas successfully escaping blame for the collapse of the conference under this scenario because, you know, most people have a brain and know that all of this talk would have ended months ago if Texas had just stated they had no intention of leaving.

First Class Sports