Warriors, Mavericks

The Western Conference is wide open this year; with everyone looking to dethrone the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Over the next month, I will write installments about these different teams. This week is about the Warriors and Mavericks.

Golden State Warriors:

The Warriors are the most exciting team to watch in the league, and that is mainly due to the excellence they have in the backcourt.  Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 42.2 ppg last year, and shot 42.1% from three-point range. Curry has 26 ppg, 6.9 apg, and is shooting 48.1%. Thompson has 24.7 ppg, 3.3 apg, 3 rpg, and is shooting 48%. These numbers are unreal. Thompson’s defense has been improving at a quicker rate than Curry’s, but Thompson’s 6’7” frame helps. Curry has had ankle problems in the past, but he seems fine at the moment.

This team made one of the smartest trades in recent memory when they traded Monta Ellis to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut in 2012. At the time, it was widely criticized. Ellis was an elite scorer in the league, and Bogut was considered a waste of the #1 overall pick. This trade was genius because it added the size this team sorely lacked, and it allowed for Thompson to take over at SG. In their game against the Clippers on Nov. 5, Bogut had six points, 14 rebounds and five assists. His presence was greatly missed in the playoffs, since he did not play at all. David Lee played in his first game of the season, scoring six points in seven minutes. Lee has been battling a hamstring injury.

Draymond Green is quietly becoming really good, and he exemplifies how this team is acquiring the right role players. Through 7 games, he is averaging 13.6 points per game in 33.1 minutes. Last year, he averaged 6.2 ppg in 21.9 minutes. He has always been known for his defense, and everyone seems to become a better shooter in Golden State. Andre Iguodala is constantly becoming more comfortable in his role as well.

The Warriors may have the most complete roster in the NBA. They were third in defensive efficiency last year. They scored 120 points twice this year and scored over 100 every game except for two. They only scored 120 eight times during the 2013-14 season. The Warriors have transformed themselves into a real contender, instead of just a circus shooting team. They do need to cut down on the turnovers, since the lead the league with 22.1 per game.

Dallas Mavericks:

The Dallas Mavericks finally won an NBA Title in 2011 after a decade of underachieving. The team had a brief rebuilding period, but thy have a roster that appear to be ready to contend again. Although Dirk Nowitzki is 36 years old, his game aged well since it was never that physical to begin with. He is averaging 20.9 ppg, and is shooting .486 from three-point range. The Mavs were one of the busiest teams in the offseason. They signed swingman Chandler Parsons away from Houston, reunited with C Tyson Chandler, and signed PG Jameer Nelson from Orlando. Nelson has become the starting PG, allowing Devin Harris to play the sixth man role.

Tyson Chandler is starting to age, but his return to Dallas looks like it has reenergized him. In 2013-14 with New York, Chandler was not himself. He missed 27 games due to injury, and he looked sluggish when he did play. He looks more limber now, and he is playing with new life. I am convinced that he stopped trying with the Knicks because he was forced to overextend himself defensively due to their cavalier defensive mindset. Chandler is expected to be a pillar of the Mavs defense, something the team has been lacking lacking ever since his departure. 

This team looks great on paper, but teams always take time to gel when new pieces arrive. This is due to the coach finding the right situational lineups, and players figuring out how to feed off each other. Parsons has been streaky to start the season, but he has had a different role. He has been playing some PF position due to depth at SF. Al-Farooq Aminu has been a nice addition at both forward positions too. Once coach Rick Carlisle figures out the different rotations, this team will be very good.


Photos from bleacherreport.com

Cavs, Heat, Bulls

The NBA Regular season is underway, and the intrigue is already building. After about a week, I am analyzing the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. These are the three teams closest to a title as currently constituted.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The most intriguing team in the entire league is the Cleveland Cavaliers, but many of the issues they will face have already been exposed. By returning to his home state, LeBron James has put himself in and interesting spot. He is doing his best to lessen expectations for this team, contrary to what he did when he arrived in Miami. He is right to do this, but people will use it against him if the team struggles. Many forget that the Heat struggled when LeBron first arrived. It took about a month for them to start to click. Also, this team is not constituted the exact same way. James’ weight loss will relegate him to the SF position, meaning that Love is the PF and Varajao is the C. Their best bench player is Tristan Thompson, who primarily plays the PF. In Miami, James and Chris Bosh played PF and C respectively. They were built better for transition basketball than the current Cavs are. Cleveland also lacks the 3-point shooting prowess Miami did, which is integral in stretching the floor.

PG Kyrie Irving has a very different role than he did last year. He has to share ball-handling duties with James, and sometimes with Dion Waiters. Irving has not had to play off the ball much in his career, but he will now. This will test his toughness and basketball IQ, when skill and athleticism was getting him by before. Ability to play off the ball was what allowed Patrick Beverly to beat out the more talented Jeremy Lin at PG in Houston last year. He also needs to improve his shooting percentage, which will be tough now that he will be getting less shots. His shooting percentage has decreased in each of his three seasons. (.469, .452, .430) Kyrie is a special player, but he will need to learn to play a different game. He has more to think about now, which could lead to overthinking. The key for him will be playing fast but also being in control. He will learn, but it will not be an easy transition.

PF Kevin Love may be the most versatile offensive big man in the NBA. He is like Chris Bosh, but with a better low post game. He shoots 5-7 threes a game, which is a good amount. He is also an exceptional rebounder, averaging 12.5 per game last year with Minnesota. Despite his strengths, he is a poor defender. He allowed a combined 35 points to LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez in their game against Portland. This team has many moving parts, challenging the acumen of rookie head coach Dave Blatt. Blatt had incredible success in Europe, but he is still learning the American game. Once he learns his players’ strengths and the right rotations, this team will improve very quickly.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat is built to be one of the top contenders in the East, and C Chris Bosh will be the main reason. Bosh fell in love with the three too much, which took the team out of rhythm at times. Bosh attempted 218 three-pointers last year, accounting for 41% of his career attempts. He had a confidence last year, which lacked his first three years in Miami. Now that LeBron James is gone, Bosh is ready to take over as the primary scorer. He will get more touches, and there will be more space in the middle of the floor for his to shoot mid-range jumpers. Dwyane Wade looks like himself thus far, but he is still an unknown moving forward. I do not believe his body will hold up unless his minutes are monitored.

Although this team does not possess a star point guard, they are very deep at the position. When healthy, they have Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, and Shabazz Napier. All have the ability to score and run an offense. SF Luol Deng is the perfect fit for this system. He does not need to be a scorer, so his defense and basketball IQ are what will make him valuable. He will play a very similar one he did in Chicago.

The power forward position is interesting for this team. At the moment, Shawne Williams and Josh McRoberts are platooning there. They are both versatile, and both can be used for different situations.

Despite many positives, the Heat is not elite from a talent standpoint. They will struggle if Bosh and D-Wade struggle. Coach Erik Spoelstra, however, has learned over the last few years how to create the proper situational lineups. The East is weak this year, so they will at least make it to the second round of the playoffs.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been knocking on the door for the past few years now, despite multiple injuries to star PG Derrick Rose. With Rose relatively healthy at the moment (although he missed a game), the Bulls look like one of the most complete teams in the NBA. The acquisition of PF Pau Gasol adds a new dimension to the team. His inside presence gives C Joakim Noah much needed help down low. SF Jimmy Butler has improved his offensive game, and looks ready to take the next step as a player. He averaged 13.1 ppg last year, but he is averaging 22.5 in his first two games this year.

Unlike teams like the Thunder, the Bulls have a system that allows for new guys to be plugged in when necessary. Their current bench includes PF Taj Gibson, PG Aaron Brooks, PG Kirk Hinrich, second year SF Tony Snell, and rookie forwards Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic. Gibson is an early sixth man of the year candidate, averaging 16 ppg, 5rpg, and 1.3 bpg in 29.7 minutes per game in three games. Coach Tom Thibodeau always has his team playing system and defensive minded basketball, which creates a culture of discipline seen in every game.

The thing that will haunt this team again is three point shooting. I have said for years now that this will prevent them from going all the way, regardless of what they do in the regular season. They were dead last in the league last year in ppg (93.7), 28^th in three-point attempts (17.8), and 24th three-point percentage (.348). Outside of Mike Dunleavy, no one is consistent in this area. I expect this team to reach the Conference Finals, but I do not see a NBA title in their future.

2014 World Series

Game 1 of the World Series ended in a 7-1 Giants blowout. This may lead people to think the Giants will run away with the series, but this is not necessarily true. I am writing this after game 1, so the series may be close to over when this article comes out.

The outcome of game 1 was not surprising due to the starting pitchers. Giants SP Madison Bumgarner has been one of the hottest pitches in baseball. Bumgarner retired 13 of his final 14 batters en route to a game 1 victory. He also extended his road playoff shutout streak to 32 2/3 innings until Royals C Salvador Perez homered in the seventh. Royals’ starter James Shields has struggled in past playoffs, despite his “Big Game James” nickname. He won Game 2 of the 2008 World Series against Philadelphia, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings. His next two playoff starts were awful however. In 2010 and 2011, he allowed a total of 11 runs in 9 1/3 innings. In his six previous postseason starts with Tampa Bay, his ERA was a subpar 4.98. It is unsurprising that San Francisco would win that game big, but Kansas City will make the rest of the series a fight. The two teams have similar styles, which is why intangibles like experience will likely make a difference.

In game 2, the Royals will send 23 year-old pitcher Yordano Ventura to the mound to face veteran Jake Peavy. Ventura made a name for himself against the Angels in the ALDS, when he allowed only five hits and one walk in seven innings. He left Game 2 of the ALCS against Baltimore with shoulder tightness, his velocity clearly lacking. KC was blown out in game 1, so manager Ned Yost was able to preserve his top relievers (Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, Greg Holland). Thursday is a travel day, so those guys will not be held back in game 2. This bodes well for KC, since their bullpen has been their strength all year. Herrera, Davis and Holland all had an ERA of less than 1.50 in at least 65 appearances. No team had ever featured two relievers with sub-1.50 ERAs in 60 appearances or more. KC went 65-5 when leading after six innings, 72-1 when leading after seven, and 79-1 when leading after eight. In a total 134.1 innings pitched since June 27, they have thrown 2,067 pitches without allowing a homer. This is positive for KC, because the Giants do not possess great power. Although the Royals’ 95 home runs were dead last in the majors during the regular season, the Giants’ 132 were 17^th.

The Giants have had their own share of bullpen success as well. Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, and Javier Lopez have all been with the team since their first World Series run in 2010, and they have anchored a bullpen since then. In three postseasons, the Giants’ bullpen has gone 11-2 with a 2.40 ERA, a .182 batting average allowed, 126 strikeouts, 37 walks and 11 homers allowed. They have done a fantastic job of replacing 2010 star, closer Brian Wilson.

The Royals offense has literally been hit-or-miss, ranking 30^th in walks. This speaks to a lack of plate discipline, or their inability to wait for good pitches. Their aggressiveness has helped a lineup without star talent to get timely hits. Being too aggressive, however, can lead to long stretches of bad at-bats. CF Lorenzo Cain led the Royals in average with .301, but only had five homers. Their top three home run hitters were LF Alex Gordon (19), Perez (17), and 3B Mike Moustakas (15). Their batting averages were meager .266, .260, and .212 respectively. The Giants have offensive ups and downs, explosions followed by lulls. They have more potential pop in their lineup than the Royals, led by C Buster Posey (22 HR, .311 BA), RF Hunter Pence (20, .277), LF Michael Morse and 3B Pablo Sandoval (16, .279 each). If the Royals do not fall behind early, I give them the edge late in close games because of the bullpen.

Jake Peavy has had a stellar season as well, but I believe the Royals will even up the series in game 2. The Giants have playoff experience, but I think their remaining starters will struggle unlike Bumgarner. Although KC will play well for the remainder of the series, I believe the Giants will win in 7.

Sayreville

Last week, the Sayreville, NJ high school football team had its season cancelled by the Board of Education. This decision came amid numerous allegations of freshman hazing that were extremely sexual in nature. I decided to write this article because I realize that this type of decision garners many different emotions. Many will argue that this is the right thing to do. Others feel that innocent players and the community are being unfairly punished. The fact is that the Board of Education made the right decision, and hopefully it sets a precedent moving forward.

I played high school football at Hopkins, albeit a small prep school. We were not a top-level program like Sayreville, but I feel that I have the basic understanding of a football locker room. Many people may not understand why hazing exists at all, but it comes from a logical place. Every year there would be a few freshmen that were full of themselves, so a hierarchy needed to be established in a locker room among the older and younger kids. Freshman would be forced to clean up the field after games, carry the shoulder pads of older kids, get older kids a plate at lunch, etc. These practices were not meant to degrade, but to cause the younger kids to appreciate the opportunity to play. The belief was that if the kids respect the opportunity, they will work harder as players. Our coach advocated this kind of stuff, but he had avid about his intolerance for hazing. He would tell us that if we were caught hazing, we would immediately be kicked off the team. In an interview on nj.com, an ex-player on the team claims that coaches were rarely present in the locker rooms. This does look like a lack of insight by the coach, but it is hard to prove that he ignored warning signs. When the Steubenville, Ohio Rape case happened in 2012, by all accounts the assailants felt entitled due to their status as football players.

Whenever football players do horrible things, it is easy to paint all players with a broad brush. That would be unreasonable, but there is a clear culture problem. It is not a football problem, but a leadership one. Most locker rooms have credible leaders who hold everyone accountable. I experienced great leadership when I played high school football, but it is not an equal comparison to other teams. My school valued academics and image over everything else. We knew that our coach would get rid of us if we acted like idiots, because he would probably get fired if we tarnished the school’s reputation. Also, our success did not affect the overall community much due to the size and class of the program. Sayreville and Steubenville’s teams were state championship contenders for many years. When too much value is put on football, the coach’s integrity is compromised. If he is only focused on the game, he is less likely monitor what his players are doing off the field. This is why the Sayreville is justifiable. Current players who did nothing wrong will be greatly inconvenienced, but there is a much bigger problem at hand. Hopefully this case will make coaches pay closer attention to their players, and school administrators will keep an eye out as well. By the Board of Education making this decision, a strong statement was made that the safety of the kids far outweighs sports.

Bengals/Chargers/Broncos

The AFC seems wide open this year, as many teams have a shot. Through the first four weeks, a few teams have started to separate themselves from the rest. I will analyze the three teams I believe have the best chance to win the AFC.

Cincinnati Bengals (3-0)

The Cincinnati Bengals have been steadily improving over the last four years and they seem to be capable of competing for a title this year. They appear to be the most complete team in the league. They are seventh in the NFL in total offense (384 ypg) and sixth in ppg (26.7). They have one of the best collections of skill players in the league, featuring QB Andy Dalton, RB Giovanni Bernard, and WR A.J. Green. Dalton is not putting up astronomical QB numbers (722 yards, 2 TDs), but he only has one turnover. For a team built like this, protecting the ball is paramount. The Bengals are middle of the pack in yards allowed, but are first in scoring defense (11 ppg), and second in third down defense (32%). DE Carlos Dunlap has three sacks, which is tied for sixth in the league. They, however, are 29^th in 3^rd down offense. This could haunt them moving forward. Green has been banged up so far this year. He is a top three receiver in the NFL when healthy. When he feels right, his presence will bolster the offense even more.

San Diego Chargers (3-1)

The San Diego Chargers have looked impressive thus far, highlighted by their week 2 win over Seattle. Some thought QB Philip Rivers was washed up two years ago when the Chargers were struggling, but I thought otherwise. I did not believe that Norv Turner was capable of being a head coach, and the team suffered. When Mike McCoy took over, I felt that a new voice would erase some past demons. They finished last year 9-7, and they picked up where they left off this year. Rivers is sixth in passing yards (1,155) and fourth in touchdowns (9).  Keenan Allen has been doing a good job of leading the receiving core, and veteran TE Antonio Gates has looked healthier than he has in some time. The Charger defense is ninth in ypg and fifth in ppg. They are sixth in the league in sacks with 10. Their interior is led by MLB Donald Butler, DE Cory Liuget, and former UConn star Kendall Reyes. They bolstered their secondary this offseason when they added ex-Chief Brandon Flowers. The team appears to be very complete outside of one glaring hole; the running game. What was though to be a three-headed monster at running back is down to one at the moment. Danny Woodhead is out for the year, and Ryan Mathews is out for at least a few more weeks. This leaves ex-Husky Donald Brown as the only legitimate runner they have right now. Their 69.5 rushing ypg is second to last in the league. This needs to be cleaned up, but the Chargers have as much of a chance as anyone to win the AFC.

Denver Broncos (2-1)

The Denver Broncos are probably most people’s favorite to win the AFC, and it is obvious why. The passing offense that Peyton Manning orchestrates has been stellar his whole career. Their offense has been down statistically though. Their 339.2 ypg is way down from the 45.7 they finished wit last year. These numbers will improve, however, because they played two elite defenses in Seattle and Kansas City. This could also be due to the absence of Wes Welker, who became Manning’s safety blanket last year. The defense is improved. They still let up a lot of yards, but they only allow 22.3 ppg. This is good for a team who throws as much as Denver. Like San Diego, they have trouble running the ball (75.3 ypg). Montee Ball is improving in his second year, but a huge void was left by the departure of Knowshon Moreno. Denver will win a lot because of their high-flying offense, but they need to be more physical in order to beat a team like the Seahawks. The running game needs to get better for this to happen.