NBA November Western Conference Review

We're about a month into the 2012-13 NBA Season, and there have been many early headlines.  Several teams have been having good years, but many have also had disappointing starts.  I'm going to take a couple of minutes and run down how every team is doing thus far.

Pacific Division

Warriors (10-6)- The Warriors are starting off great this year and have managed to achieve first place in the Pacific division.  They have had very balanced scoring this year and four guys have 14+ points (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Carl Landry).  David Lee is having a standout year thus far with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.  Stephen Curry is shooting 40% from 3-pointers, while Carl Landry is shooting 57% with 14 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.  The Warriors are currently 4th in the west this year.

LA Clippers (10-6)- Chris Paul is averaging 9 assists per game this year and Blake Griffin is averaging  17 and 9 this far.  However, the leading scorer for the team isn't even starting.  That would be sharpshooter Jamal Crawford, who said that he never practiced shooting until this year.  Something's working for him, and he has 17.5 points a game while shooting an impeccable 94% from the line to give the Clips a good start this year as they look to make the next step-being a title contender.

LA Lakers (8-9)- The Lakers season has been filled with tons of ups and downs this year, and somehow they find themselves at a pretty even 8-8 so far.  They made a controversial decision when they fired head coach Mike Brown after only 4 games this year, and made a crazier decision hiring Mike D'Antoni instead of former coach Phil Jackson.  I never thought Brown suited the Lakers position, so you can see the reasons for firing.  They did hire Steve Nash's former coach, but Nash is injured.  They should be doing better after Nash comes back.

Suns (7-11)- It's been a sub-par beginning for a struggling Suns team trying to find the playoffs.  They have some good talent in Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, and Marcin Gortat, and with some increased production from others they may be able to right the ship.  They haven't been bad so far, but it just hasn't accumulated into wins so far.  This is the first season in a long time where Nash hasn't been running the point, but Goran Dragic is doing job filling the void with 6.6 assists per game to go along with a team leading 15.3 points.

Kings (4-12)- The Kings own the worst record in the Western Conference thus far in the season, and along with the Wizards are only 1 of 2 NBA teams yet to win a game on the road.  The Kings are 0-6 away from Sacramento, and are coming off a 35 point beating from the Clippers at the Staples Center.  There haven't been very many positives so far, but you can look at young Demarcus Cousins, slowly growing into one of the league's best centers.  So far he has 16 points and 9.5 rebounds a game.

Northwest Division

Thunder (14-4)- The defending Western Conference champions have started off hot, and are sitting pretty at a division leading, second place in the west 14-4 record thus far.  They've wasted no time making it known they are still a contender for the title, and are on a 5 game win streak currently.  They are also averaging a 9.8 point win, which is the greatest differential in the league right now.  Kevin Durant is attempting to make a push for MVP this season, and currently is averaging 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in an attempt to steal the honor from Lebron.  Kevin Martin is excellently filling in James Harden's void, and could make a run at 6th man of the year, averaging 16 a game.  However, Jamal Crawford and Carl Landry are big competition just in the West.

Jazz (9-9)- Don't let the Jazz's 9-9 record fool you, they can be a contender.  They also may be a scary playoffs team, as they haven't lost a home game yet.  Granted, they've only played six at home, but it still is impressive.  Al Jefferson is having a sub-par year by scoring standards in comparisons to his previous seasons, but has upped the rebounding to average a 16.7 and 10.5 double double.  Gordon Hayward from Butler is having a good season as well, and is developing into a very solid starting small forward in this league.  They share the minutes quite well as a team, with 8 guys playing 20 plus minutes a game.  

Nuggets (8-9)- An interesting season for Denver so far.  This can be considered a disappointing start for the fans up a mile above sea level.  However, they do have a 4-1 home record, good there as always.  This team has made the playoffs and have had a winning record each year since 2003, so you'd figure they'll get back on track for a tenth straight postseason appearance.  6 players are averaging at least 10 points, so they're sharing the wealth well, and Kenneth Faried is quickly becoming a rebound monster like he was at Morehead State.  A good note is that all three of their main big men (Faried, Javale McGee, and Kosta Koufos) are all shooting over 54% from the field, excellent shooting.  This team loves to score, and they are averaging 99.9 points a game so far.

Timberwolves (7-8)- The main story for the T'Wolves has been injuries.  Kevin Love has only played 6 games, 6 for Chase Budinger, 5 for Brandon Roy, and Ricky Rubio hasn't started his season yet.  Kevin Love is averaging 21 points and an amazing 15 rebounds every time he plays, though.  The team has hit the plague, and it's hard to fight back, especially when only 3 players have been in every game.  These are Luke Ridnour, Dante Cunningham, and Alexey Shved.  11 different players have started so far, which says a lot about the injury-plagued team.

Blazers (7-10)- LaMarcus Aldridge is making a great case for a spot on the all star team with 21 points and 8 rebounds, and Damian Lillard (19 points, 6 assists), is a strong candidate for rookie of the year honors this season.  That was good.  Now to bad.  The depth is terrible, as after their starting five no player averages over 5.1 points.  They are third worst in the league in assists, and rank 23rd in field goal percentage.  Four of their starters play extremely heavy minutes (over 37 a game), and they are the only team to lose to the Washington Wizards.  That's enough, I'll back off of Portland.

Southwest Division

Grizzlies (12-3)- Congratulations, Memphis Grizzlies, for having the best record in the NBA thus far (tied with the Miami Heat, actually, but best in the Western Conference nonetheless).  This team seems to be a pretty consistent dark horse playoff team with a 5-8 seed for the past few years.  This may be the season where they finally make the jump.  "Zebo" Zach Randolph is playing like an absolute monster, swallowing rebounds (12.7 to be exact), while also averaging 16.3 points.  Rudy Gay is averaging 19 and 6, and Mike Conley has an amazing 2.57 steals per contest.  This is a team that shoots an amazing 81.3 percent from the free-throw line, which is second in the league.  They have the third largest win margin of any team at close to 8 points per, and if the numbers don't lie it's easy to see why they're great.

Spurs (14-4)- The aging superstars are complemented nicely with some fresh, young talent this year.  Tim Duncan is back to double-double form with an impressive 19 and 10 to lead the team in both categories.  Tony Parker leads the way for a team who leads the league in assists.  Their numbers look very consistent and they have a lot of output from several different players.  They have been criticized and fined 250k for not playing four of their best players (Ginobili, Duncan, Parker, and Green), but you have to admit that they were playing four games in five days, their older veterans especially were tired, and no one is supposed to beat the Heat, and they aren't in the same conference, so they loss didn't matter a ton anyway.  

Rockets (8-8)- Seeing as they pretty much threw their whole team away over the offseason (all but 3 guys), and were supposed to get killed by everyone this season, you can look at the even .500 record as an accomplishment thus far.  James Harden is proving to be worth a whole ton to this team (80 million is always debatable, but look at the numbers this guy and his beard are putting up!), and is currently averaging 24 points a game, good enough for 5th in the league right now.  The other main addition, Jeremy Lin, is also playing well as a facilitator, doing a bit of everything.  He has 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2 steals a game, pretty good numbers for him.  Possibly the biggest surprise of the year has been from Omer Asik.  He was Joakim Noah's backup for the Bulls last year, but is showing up as a starter with 11 points and 12.3 rebounds, a rebound total good enough for third in the league.  Joakim Noah is tenth in this stat with 9.9 per contest.

Mavericks (8-9)- The Mavericks were without a scoring option once news of Dirk Nowitzki's injury came to light.  And then Orange Juice Mayonnaise (oh, it's just O.J. Mayo?  Gotcha.) came to the rescue, providing 20 a game to keep the team rolling.  Once Dirk get's back, there should be a good pick and roll.  These guys are almost as bad as the Timberwolves in terms of definite starters.  This team has started ten different men.  Wow.  The Mavs will look for a rebound once Dirk comes back, and then this team will try to snag a playoff appearance, maybe as a 6-8.

Hornets (4-11) LAST TEAM! - The big story for the Hornets this season was the addition of a single unibrow.  Anthony Davis, a national champion at Kentucky and undisputed number one draft selection.  The 6'10'' big man was the dream of all teams with a shot at the lottery.  The Hornets got him, and he got a concussion.  But in his six games, the Brow has shown signs of greatness.  It will be fun to see him with Eric Gordon once Gordon gets healthy.  Greivis Vasquez out of Maryland has stepped up his game this season, averaging 8.7 assists, placing him 5th in the league to this point.  This team will have to take a couple years to develop, but could compete in the future.

THAT WAS A MAMMOTH POST.  I CAN'T GIVE A FOR SURE DATE ON THE EASTERN CONFERENCE ONE, ALTHOUGH I CAN SAY IT'LL BE OUT BY WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY.  HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED IT, AND I'LL POST AGAIN REAL SOON.  THAT MEANS WHEN I'M BORED.

CONNOR

Week 13 Picks - NFC Wild Card Battle Intensifies

Hello again, readers of my blog.  Last week was my first week showcasing my NFL picks, and it went a little worse than hoped.  I went 7-6 (I didn't pick Thanksgiving games), which left a little to be desired.  I remember saying that the Browns couldn't win against the Steelers.  They forced 8 turnovers.  Moving on.  I'm currently on the 81st percentile of Yahoo Pick 'em's, so a rebound is ideal.  And yes, I did forget to write this in time for Thursday night.  Let's assume I got that one right, (because I did).

Jaguars vs. Bills
What a pointless game to pick.  The Jaguars are coming off a decent win last week against the Titans, so a little more should be expected out of them.  Neither team has playoff hope, so at this point we're going for pride!  Chad Henne has quietly put up two amazing games in a row for the Jaguars, and this would be the team for him to keep up the streak against, huh?  The Bills are 26th in yards allowed this season, and Henne has 6 TDs and 650+ yards in two games.  Never thought I'd say that.  Never thought I'd say this either.
Prediction: Jaguars 34-28

Bears vs. Seahawks
This game is actually pretty intriguing.  The Seahawks are that team no one knows about in the NFC wild card race.  You look at the race and say these names: the 7-4 Packers, the 6-5 Vikings, the 6-5 Buccaneers, even the 5-7 Saints.  The Seahawks are there at 6-5 as well, though.  The Bears are never an easy team to play, and now with Cutler back they are ready to destroy.  Seattle is looking for revenge after a heartbreaking loss to Miami last week, but I think they'll be just a bit short.
Prediction: Bears 27-21

Colts vs. Lions
Two monster years for both of these quarterbacks.  Stafford and Luck are both doing great, and while they've had a few bad games, you can't deny their worth to their respective teams.  The Lions are pretty much dead at this point, where the Colts have a wild card spot to lose in the AFC.  Chuck Pagano's battle with cancer has inspired the Colts, and I think that they should take this game, although Stafford and Megatron could show up.
Prediction: Colts 31-20

Vikings vs. Packers
This is a great, quality, playoff wild card race deciding, football party hosting, eat some pizza and chips and watch kind of game.  I don't want anyone to correct grammar on the previous sentence for I have no idea what I just typed.  Simply put, the Packers need a rebound, and a Viking win is HUGE for Minnesota at this point.  Tiebreak and same record as Green Bay?  There couldn't be anything huger at this point in time.  I'll call this one a toss-up.
Prediction: Packers 30-26

Panthers vs. Chiefs
How bad are the Chiefs?  Almost unspeakably terrible.  However, they beat the Saints two months ago.  The Panthers are also terrible, and at 3-8 could finish last place in the entire NFC.  Cam Newton has more rushing yards and touchdowns than the 3 main running backs for the Panthers.  This game is terrible.  However, there has been a Chiefs tragedy including the suicide of a player after him murdering his wife.  That is another article.  The Chiefs emotionally can't play.
Prediction: Panthers 31-10

Patriots vs. Dolphins
The Patriots have won 19 in a row in the second half of NFL seasons.  That's impressive.  The Dolphins are not out of the playoffs yet, but it's futile.  And there's no better team to kill your playoff hopes than your friendly neighborhood rival Patriots.  That's all I have to say.
Prediction: Patriots 38-20

Cardinals vs. Jets
Hurray!  The two most lifeless teams in the whole league!  I consider throwing these guys under the Browns, Raiders, Jags, and Panthers in terms of worth.  But they still beat the Eagles and the Chiefs.  The Cards have lost 7 in a row since the devastation of Kolb's injury, and you know there's a problem when you are starting Ryan Lindley.  What can I say?  He's bad.  And the Jets.  The laughing stock of the NFL.  When's Tebow Time?  This game is terrible, and could realistically end 0-0.  But as much as it pains me to say it, the Jets have a good matchup.
Prediction: Jets 20-12

49ers vs. Rams
Wouldn't it be funny if they tied again?  The Niners have essentially locked a playoff spot, and the Rams have been a disappointment.  But this time they have a new quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, in one of the weirdest quarterback switches in a while, the whole abandoning a QB that's gone 19-5-1 in the last two seasons thing.  But Kaepernick is good, and can scramble really well.  The Rams will be Rams.  That isn't a good thing.
Prediction: 49ers 30-16

Texans vs. Titans
Do I need to say anything about this game?  What is there to say?  The Texans are probably the NFL's best team at this point, and the Titans aren't.  And Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, J.J. Watt, and Connor Barth are all really good too.
Prediction: Texans 34- 17

Broncos vs. Buccaneers
The Broncos are essentially in the playoffs as a 2-4 seed depending on how the season ends.  But boy is it a huge game for the Bucs!  It's a good chance to steal one and give an effort to make the playoffs as that wild card 6 seed.  This game could very well be a shootout.  Both teams will score a lot, but who would you take: Josh Freeman or Peyton Manning?  My thoughts exactly.
Prediction: Broncos 38-34

Ravens vs. Steelers
The Ravens are incredibly lucky to get the Steelers twice without Big Ben Roethlisberger, who is out for the third straight game.  The Steelers are coming off a pathetic eight turnover loss to Cleveland of all teams, and now face a tough Lewis-less Ravens squad.  Did you see Ray Rice's 30 yard 4th and 29 reception?  How can I guy that does that lose to a team starting Charlie Batch?  Both defenses are very good, but let's be honest.  Ravens got this one.
Prediction: Ravens 21-10

Browns vs. Raiders
The Raiders have allowed an average of 39 points there last three games, and have lost each one at least three touchdowns.  I don't know how to characterize just how bad the Raiders have been recently, but I do have something interesting about the Browns.  Despite being 3-8, they have only lost games by an average of 3.5 points, and that margin has only been 2 points in their last five games.  Surprisingly, in terms of points allowed, the Browns stand in 16th place at 22.5 a game.  That's actually top half.  Meanwhile, the Raiders are dead last at 32.4 a game.
Prediction: Browns 24-20  P.S. This would be 2-in-a-row for the Browns!  After this they have the Chiefs and Redskins.  They could realistically win 4 straight and be 6-8!?!?!

Bengals vs. Chargers
The Chargers need some kind of something good eventually.  But not now.  Just not now.  I don't know what needs to happen with the Chargers, but something does.  This has been the worst game preview ever, presented by Connor's Sports Blog.
Prediction: Bengals 30-17.  Note: The preview a just wrote is a direct result of having done 12 game previews before it over a 30-40 minute span.  You just get sick of it. 8)  

Eagles vs. Cowboys
The NFC managed to lock up both the Sunday night and Monday night game.  This division was supposed to have 4 contenders this year.  Instead we got the ever good but not great Giants, on and off Cowboys and Redskins teams, with a pathetic Eagle squad to boot.  Philly was so desperate they got rid of their best pass rusher, Jason Babin.  Babin is probably experiencing temporary insanity after being cut by the 3-8 Eagles, and then picked up by the worse 2-9 Jaguars.  Moving on, the only good thing about the Eagles last week was Bryce Brown, the rookie running back who went for 178 yards and two scores.  Brown won't be enough this week, however, as the Cowboys need to keep their playoff hopes alive by getting to 6-6.
Prediction: Cowboys 26-20

Giants vs. Redskins
The Redskins are desperate and the Giants want to lock up this division.  However, the Giants have a brutal finish, playing the Saints, Falcons, Ravens, and Eagles after this week.  The Redskins will come out firing this week and Pierre Garcon should get a lot of targets.  I figure this game won't be a blowout, but come on- the Giants destroyed Green Bay last week.  That was a statement.
Prediction: Giants 30-20

Your turn!  What do you think will happen?  Are my picks reasonable?  Why or why not?  Feel free to tell me on this blog in the comments section and I'll do my best to get back to you.  Happy December!
Connor

Michael Jordan Kicked Out of Golf Course for Cargo Shorts!

This is a couple days overdue but whatever.  I still have opinions.  There was some breaking news a couple days ago involving Michael Jordan.  Yes, he still manages to get in the news.  And for all things, a little round of golf.  While I hope he golfs better than Charles Barkley, this is not about quality of performance at all.  Instead, this is about what he was wearing.  More surprisingly, Michael's clothing was not what I would consider improper.

Michael Jordan was playing at the La Gorce Golf Club in Miami, Florida when the incident took place.  There isn't much of a story behind this one.  The Jack Nicklaus designed course was being played by Jordan.  He was wearing cargo shorts at the time, and had already golfed eleven holes.  The country club realized his attire when he was on the 12th, sending someone out to kindly ask him to change.  Jordan, seeing it as just cargo shorts, and being in the middle of a round, declined this offer.  After playing he was told to not come back.

A weird story, I know, and it gets weirder after you get a couple details.  Jordan's representative stated that he had been there previously and had wore cargo pants before at the course.  This is a strict golf course as well, and has kicked people off for doing things such as not tucking in shirts.

My opinion is this: who cares?  Now this may seem like an attack to the golf course, and while a respect their rules, they have THE Michael Jordan at THEIR golf course!  MJ could be considered the most well known athlete of ALL-TIME.  Having basketball's greatest player at your course is great publicity, and it isn't like he was naked or anything.  To me this looks like a very dumb play by the golf course, and is a wasted opportunity for some good publicity.  MJ will continue to golf, but never again at the La Gorce.

What do you think about this incident?  Did the golf course do the right thing?  Feel free to comment and tell me.
Connor