Hey guys! Recently we have been cranking out quite a few articles, and in the coming weeks, expect us to be using ProFooballFocus, or PFF, as a source quite often. For those of you who aren’t familiar, PFF is a site with a dedicated staff that analyzes every game closely and “score” individual and team efforts on different areas of the game. In fact, these “scores” or often just as valued as actual stats by many professional sports writers. After all, they charge $27 a month for their full analysis for a reason. But a lot of their analysis is free as well. You can check them out here:
This is just a heads up so our readers don’t get confused when we cite PFF. Anyways, stay tuned for many more articles to come this week. Don’t be surprised if we add a few more staff members as well this week.
Hi, I am Azane Massey the author of ZahiriSports blog. Today, I’m going to be talking about why the Browns should, and shouldn’t trade Josh Gordon. Obviously, Josh Gordon has been getting a ton of buzz lately, especially regarding trade talks. The Browns GM Michael Lombardi is looking to trade away players to get young, good talent in the 2014 NFL draft. He has already traded away Trent Richardson to the Colts for a 1st round pick ( Actually, a great deal). But, know he is looking to trade yet another young, talented asset. Josh Gordon, Gordon is a young, fast, big, and strong WR. In the 5 weeks that Josh has played he has had very good numbers. Josh Gordon has caught, 27 balls for 450 yards, and 2 touchdowns!!! This is very good for a guy who has no talent around him on the offensive side of the ball. Gordon has off-the field issues, but, can still play at a very high level. Gordon had a down week because, their quarterback Brandon Weeden, throws worse than JaMarcuss Russell. I have no idea why the Browns are not putting in Jason Campbell. Gordon will likely go to the Falcons, Lions, or 49ers, for a second round pick. The Browns would be in a good position if they get a second round pick. They can get Johnny Manziel in the first round, quarterback out of Texas a&m, and trade their other 1st rounder, with a third rounder, to move up in the draft, and pick up WR out of USC, Marqisse Lee. Then, with their second rounder, draft a RB like Bobby Rainey out of Washington. And then with their other second rounder ( If they trade Gordon), draft another talented WR. The Browns have a lot of options. Let me know your thoughts on my first article!!!! And make sure to check out my fantasy football sits and starts later in the week!!!!
Hey guys, I’m Zarek Massey, the new editor in chief of the Zahiri Sports Blog. Without further ado I’m gonna touch into the sleepers, overrated players, starts of the week, and sits of the week at each position.
QB:
Start of the Week: Peyton Manning
I didn’t really have to tell you this though. The best fantasy QB in the league in a primetime game against his old team while tensions are running high? This game has “shootout” written all over it, and I fully expect him to get 35 points in most standard leagues, if not more.
Other starts:
Jay Cutler: This week Cutler’s Bears face the Redskins. While RG3 and the Redskin’s should turn things around in the coming weeks, the defense shows no signs for a potential turnaround. The Redskins defense has been atrocious. While Orakpo and Kerrigan are getting things done, the Redskins are sorely lacking interior lineman and Father Time seems to finally be catching up with London Fletcher. But the worst part of this “defense” is far and away the pathetic potluck of horrible players they call a secondary. Deangelo Hall has been atrocious, Wilson has been all but running away from his assignments, and to top it off, their best cornerback, rookie David Amerson, may be sidelined with a concussion. Bacarri Rambo does not have the size to cover Martellus Bennett, no one should be able to stop Forte (who I will get to later), and don’t even get me started on Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. The hardest thing for Cutler to do might be deciding which wide open target to throw to. Start him with confidence. I say he gets atleast 25 points.
Mathew Stafford: While Stafford is facing a very respectable defense in Cincinatti, I don’t see a way the Bengals can cover 6’5 Maegatron, 6’6 Kris Durham, 6’7 Joseph Fauria, and still keep up with Reggie Bush and Ryan Broyles. This offense is becoming near unstoppable, so start Stafford.
Sit of the Week:
Colin Kaepernick: I know Colin Kaepernich hasn’t exactly been winning games for your fantasy teams, and while he will breakout one of these days, that day won’t be today. Facing a very underrated Titans defense, Anquan Boldin should be blanketed by Alterraun Verner, who is playing at an all-pro level with 4 interceptions and 17 pass defensed.
Sits:
Tom Brady: Expext the game against the Jags to be a low scoring, grind it out affair. That defense is very underrated and right now, the Jets are hungry. While Tom Brady is still Tom Brady (and he gets Gronk back), I don’t think he will reach 18 points this week.
Ryan Tannehill: The Dolphins are now facing a healthy Bills secondary, and Jairus Byrd and Stephon Gilmore could be as good as any S-CB duo in the league. Like the other AFC East showdown, expect this on to be a low scoring game also, with the Bills being intent on not letting Mike Wallace ger the ball. I think Brian Hartline could have himself a solid day but I also expect him to be Tannehill’s go to guy. Tannehill at most should be getting 225 yards and 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Sleeper of the Week: Drumroll please!!!
Geno Smith: Why Geno Smith? I know I said earlier that the game will be a low scoring affair, but the Patriots are banged up. No Aqib Talib, no Tommy Kelly, no Jerod Mayo. Geno should have a decent passing game, but I also expect the Patriots to dare him to use his legs. And I think he will burn the Patriots with his legs.
You must have noticed I haven’t written an article in ages. This is because I’ve been busy with school/extra curricular work. Because of this, I’ll be hiring several contributors. Today, there is a new Author, Stefano Gamba.
Expect more articles and continue to follow, as I will attempt to be more active as well.
~Arteen Zahiri
EDIT:
I have just added two new staff members, brothers Zarek Massey (Editor) and Azane Massey (Contributor)
The NFL kickoff is coming to a start and what better way to start off rather than a classic match up between the defending Super Bowl Champion Blatimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos. A game featuring two of the best QBs in the NFL in a rematch of arguably the most exciting post season game in recent memory. Now it’s time to rank the 10 best QBs in the NFL before the pre season. To clarify, these are the QBs I think will performed the best this upcoming season. I first would like to say Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson will not be on this least. But believe me when I tell you that I know these guys are both great QBs. They will most certainly be in the top 10 next year if everything goes as planned. They still need to prove some things, such as leadership qualities, clutch factor, ability to be a pocket passer (while I’ll admit they have shown this at times even though they like to beat you with their legs), mechanics, etc. Until then, these are my top 10 QBs heading into the NFL regular season kickoff.
1) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers has proven time and time again he can make any throw. He has one of the strongest arms in the NFL and throws the best deep ball. He can make plays with his feet if necessary and is deadly accurate, especially throwing on the run. He can make pretty much every play and has the capability of turning any receiver into a star. Guys like James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley, and Randall Cobb all are undoubtedly talented, but they can thank A Rod for a huge reason on why they are so successful today. A Rod has carried that team far, even without a potent running game as of late. He was unable to overcome a sensational performance by Kaepernick and his defense completely melted down, but he still showed poise and skill all season long. Finishing with a QB rating of 108 (led NFL) and a 39:8 TD to INT ratio, A Rod is indeed the best QB in the NFL and with his WRs forming great chemistry and finally having a reliable RB in Eddie Lacy, who’s a rookie, Rodgers should have great seasons for many years to come, most notably this next season.
2) Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning, getting pretty old huh? Well old man Manning showed he can pick apart any defense he wants last season and led the league with a dazzling 68.6% completion clip. Keep in mind he was coming off a handful of neck surgeries last season. And he looked like the same old Peyton Manning, lighting up defenses left and right. Manning is still the smartest QB in the NFL and is the master signal caller of the NFL. This season, the team went out and surronded him with weapons. Getting Tom Brady’s favorite target in Wes Welker. Welker has been one of the most reliable WRs in the NFL for years. The team also drafted Montee Ball in the second round. Willis McGahee was the team’s starting RB last year and he did not play well, hence why he is unemployed. Ball is a young solid player and will split carries with Ronnie Hillman another young back. Together they from a decent, energetic running attack to complement Manning. The team now has a stud WR trio of Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Wes Welker. Now they’ve formed a great TE trio of Joel Dressen, Jacob Tamme, and Julius Thomas (breakout candidate with Dressen and Tamme nursing injuries, has played well and a favorite of Manning). I expect Manning to have another terrific season this upcoming year.
3) Drew Brees
The more and more I watch Drew Brees the more and more I like him. Every year he’s breaking records, leading the league in yards, TDs, carrying his team to the playoffs, etc. It wasn’t his fault the Saints we’re so bad and without him they would have been undoubtedly winless. Brees has the ability to make ANY receiver a consistent part of the passing attack (just ask Robert Meachem). That’s the beauty of Brees, he’s never had that go to guy rather he shares the sugar with just about everyone. Also, notice how all the QBs so far have rings (the pattern doesn’t stop here). Brees practically carried the team and his been a terrfic QB since. With Sean Payton back, expect big things from Brees, especially in the win column,
Just weeks ago, I was laughing at the Bucks roster. Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings were as good as gone and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was foolishly shipped off to Sacramento for peanuts. Add that to the fact they lost out on Jeff Teague and overpaid Zaza Pachulia, that team looked like a mess and a potential laughing stock. Since, the team has made a lot of nice savvy moves. Most notably trading for Brandon Knight. I briefly talked about the trade and displayed the details in one of my most recent articles. Is Knight an upgrade over Jennings short term or long term? No. Is he a skilled scorer with penitential? Yes. But regardless this was a good trade. Jennings was leaving, we all knew that. The fact that they brought in a replacement point guard of the future and other skilled players was a job well done. I talked a lot of Brandon Knight in the other article so I’d like to focus on the other two guys: Khris Middleton and Viacheslav Kravtsov, both were rookies last year. Middleton was a second round pick (39th overall) and flashed a lot of potential and skill throughout the year. He finished the year averaging 6.1 PPG and 1.9 RPG. Not wowing stats, but he showed promise. For those who aren’t familiar, he is a SF/PF from Texas A&M who has a very nice shot with scoring potential. Middleton got better each game, he is talented, athletic and still growing. He needs to work on his defense though. VV (not typing that) is an unknown. He’s a 25 year old Ukranian center and to quote Joe Dumars, “He’s a young player with good size, rebounding and shot-blocking ability. He will provide us with some quality depth at the center position.” The second sentence is exactly what he’ll do with the Bucks. Last year was his first in the NBA. Prior to that he was a 2x Ukrainian Superleague Domestic Player of the Year. He had a double double last year posting 14 points with 10 boards in a loss to Indy on 2/22/13. He averaged 3 points and 2 boards in 25 games. Both him and Middleton are projects but the Bucks could fin use out of them, especially Middleton who looks like he could develop into a solid role player or possibly more. Now to look at the bigger names they brought in. OJ Mayo was the first and a signing I liked. I always viewed OJ as a good player throughout his career, attitude problems limited him recently, but he’s matured. He made a lot of noise his first two years but his problems made him a sixth man in Memphis until last year where he became a starter again in Dallas. He had a good year, averaged 15 points a game but shot 40.9% from deep and 45% overall. Mayo was scoring a lot more before Dirk came back from injury. He even tied his career high with 40 points, his production dropped after the All Star Break because Carlisle preferred to get Dirk involved more. He also averaged 4.4 APG because he stated he wanted to be more of a playmaker. The Bucks signed him to a three year $24M and it looks like they’ll view him as a play maker and their go to scorer. Now they brought in Brandon Knight, another good scorer. The two of them can form an impressive back court. The two players complement each other fairly well. Knight is building a consistent jump shot but both players are capable of creating their own shots witch is nice. Knight and Mayo are not a better scoring tandem than Jennings and Ellis, but I’d say they are more efficient because they are better shooter which benefits the big men and spaces the floor to get points in the paint. This benefits Ersan Ilyasova more than anyone. Ersan was awarded a 5 year $40M extension last offseason. A season which he recorded 29 points and 25 boards in one game. He averaged 13 and 7 last year as the team had him play both SF and PF, he is talented enough to score more but he was playing alongside Ellis and Jennings to guys that prefer to take it to the hoop themselves. At 6’10 I prefer Ilyasova more at PF. He is athletic and has a nice jumper, making him able to play SF, but I think he can create more mismatches playing the 4. The team made a wise decision by signing Carlos Delfino to play the 3. Delfino was already a three year starter in Milwaukee before he signed with Houston last year. His talents on offense were missed. They should have definately kept Mbah a Moute as he was the best perimeter defender, but when Delfino was gone he didn’t have the offensive capability to make an impact. Knight/Mayo/Delfino compared to Jennings/Ellis/Mbah a Moute is an interesting thought. It’s hard to say who has the advantage on offense and even ditto for defense. The first one looks more efficient but the second looks more electrifying. The only way we can find out is my waiting and seeing I suppose. It’s important to note Delfino is coming off a great year. He averaged 10.6 points in just 25 minutes a game. The best move they’ve made is signing Gary Neal to a two year deal worth LESS THAN $6M. Yep this means the Spurss think Marco Belinelli is worth more. Neal is a good player and the Spurs made a terrible decision not to resign him. He had so many key games down the stretch and he’s proved to be a solid and consistent scorer. He will be a great sixth man option and I think the team will be scarier with him on the court. Approximately 15.3 points per 36 minutes. The team signed him to a three year deal worth $10M. Moving on to the front court, the team made a rather idiotic move and signed Zaza Pachulia to a three year deal worth $15.6M. Zaza has had his good days about 7 years ago but other than a fluke season two years ago he appears to get worse and worse. The reason he put up decent numbers (8 points and 8 rebounds avg in 44 starts averaging 28 MPG) that year is because the team was desperate to play Al Horford at PF, his natural position so they did everything in their power to mold Zaza into a capable starting center, it didn’t work well enough. He is nothing more than a career backup and not worth the $$$ they gave him. Luckily they have Larry Sanders starting. The team’s best defender, Sanders played great last year and took a great leap forward. Averaging around 10 points and 10 boards a game and a very impressive 3 blocks, he emerged as a force inside and a great rim protector. I expect him to get better next year. He did all this in just 27 MPG. Adding depth, the team signed Miroslav Raduljica, a seven foot center from Serbia. He averaged 14 points and six boards (21 MPG) last year playing in Ukraine. He led the team to the finals and he is just 25 years old. He’s been a successful European player winning numerous awards along the way. He’ll have to battle for a roster spot because the team has a lot of nice depth at the PF and C positions. To list them all: Ekpe Udoh, John Henson, and Gustavo Ayon are the remaining ones I’ve yet to speak of. Ekpe Udoh was the 6th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He hasn’t lived up to expectations with career averages of 4.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 195 career games (just 38 starts) averaging 18.6 MPG. What he has done is show himself to be a good shot blocker/rim protector and a good post defender, high energy guy off the bench. John Henson has shown more promise so far however,and is expected to have a bigger role next season. He was the 14th pick of the 2012 draft, as a rookie he averaged 6 points and about 5 boards in just 13 MPG. The UNC product is big, athletic, and defensive minded. He can defend the post, protect the rim, and even guard the perimeter. His game is most often compared to Anthony Davis’. He is raw but talented and a good rebounder. His per 36 minutes stats are an impressive 16.6 PPG, 13.8 RPG and 2 BPG. He had a PER rating of 18.30 which is also impressive. He’s 6’10 and has a wingspan of 7’4. The first thing he needs to do is bulk up, he can be a solid PF and possibly overtake Ersan’s spot sooner than later. Gustavo Ayon had to be waived by the Bucks because of the logjam at PF/C. This was a bad move. Ayon has potential and has shown promise. He’s a good rebounder, averaging 5 a game in 13 MPG last year. He once had 17 boards in a game. He is 28, but he had just started his NBA career three years ago and was just learning the game. He could have been a solid role player. The team decided to take a chance on the younger unproven guys instead of him. A good move by the bucks was sneaking into the Kevin Martin sign and trade. To allow the Wolves to get him, Bucks were needed to make it financially work. All they did was give up the draft rights to Szymon Szewczyk, a 30 year old polish basketball player who was a second round pick (35th overall) in 2003 who’s never played in the NBA, and in return got Luke Ridnour and a 2014 second round pick. Luke was a starting point guard last year for the Wolves and he was a sixth man for the Bucks before. 32 years old he’s been a solid player for years and a great option off the bench filling in at point guard. The last piece is first round pick Giannis Antetokounmpo, the pride of Greece. Just 18 years old, the Bucks selected him 15th overall in this years draft. He can play SG, SF, and PF (very versatile). He’s 6’9 with a 7’3 wingspan. What he lacks in strength he brings in quickness, mobility, and agility. He’s very comparable to Nic Batum of the Trail Blazers. He is very good at finishing around the rim to to his athleticism. Once he develops a solid jump shot he could be a nice scoring weapon down the road. His youth helps and most likely means he’ll have a long, nice career. I like this pick by the Bucks, it was a safe one. His athleticism and offensive skill set gives him little bust potential. At worst he’ll be a decent role player. At best, he can be a dynamic weapon in the NBA. Taking a look at the starters: (backups are next to them)
PG: Brandon Knight, Luke Ridnour, Ish Smith, Nate Wolters
SG: OJ Mayo, Gary Neal, Giannis Antetokounmpo
SF: Carlos Delfino, Khris Middleton
PF: Ersan Ilyasova, John Henson, Ekpe Udoh
C: Larry Sanders, Zaza Pachulia, Viacheslav Kravtsov, Miroslav Raduljica
This lineup is pretty balanced but I think their best would be:
PG: Brandon Knight
SG: Gary Neal
SF: OJ Mayo
PF: Ersan Ilyasova
C: Larry Sanders
in most situations. This team is fairly deep and nearly every player can play multiple positions, giving this team a lot of versatility. This team would be a lot better if they had Luc Richard Mbah a Moute still, as it lacks a good perimeter defender. I’m not sold if Knight/Mayo is an upgrade over Jennings/Ellis. I do think this team is a lot deeper for the most part. As I say, you can never have too many big men. This is a complete roster over haul. The only returning players are Ersan, Henson, Sanders, Udoh, and Ish Smith. To breifly introduce Smith, he is a backup PG with career averages 2.4 PPG and 1.7 APG for his career in 10 MPG. He provides depth and energy off the bench. He has 6 years of NBA experience. This team was a mess a few weeks ago but they have done a great job turning thins around. They’ve spurned by a lot of players but have stuck through and refuse to tank like some assumed they would.
Hello all, I am back. I’ve been trying to post more articles but every time I’m in the middle of one my computer crashes. Let’s hope this one works. Earlier today, the Pistons completed a sign and trade to acquire Brandon Jennings. They gave him a three year deal worth $24M which is great value. The trade details were:
I’m not going to go too far into this trade because I will do one of these for the Bucks as they are looking to get into the playoffs. But I’d like to say I think Brandon Jennings is an upgrade over Knight. I also don’t view Knight as a true point guard and if I were a HC I would even be uncomfortable putting him there. This draws concern because he is too undersized to play SG at 6’3 and 189 pounds. Knight has shown nice flashes and is a good scorer, I’m actually a fan of his and I think he can be a high quality scorer later on, but I don’t think he is a long term answer due to his small frame and the fact that he lacks PG skills, he’s also shown an incositent jump shot. Jennings on the other hand has more polished skill and has had more success playing the PG position. Jennings has had a history of jacking shots in Milwaukee, but he never had talent around him. In Detroit, they have some nice young players allowing him to facilitate the game better and due to the fact he has nice passing skills I expect a nice bump in his assist. Jennings also has a nicer jumper. Yes, he is a career 39.4% shooter, but he forced to take a lot of difficult shots in efforts to keep his team competitive. In Detroit he has options to move the ball around and hit an open shot which he has proved he can do on several occasions most notably here:
Jennings worked with that screen and knocked down the open jumpers consistently. It’s also important to note Jennings is only 23 years old and already has 4 years of NBA experience (2 years of playoff experience). Jennings can improve a lot has a higher ceiling than Knight. Let’s see how Jenning will mesh with his teammates. Here is the projected starting lineup:
PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Rodney Stuckey
SF: Josh Smith
PF: Greg Monroe
C: Andre Drummond
Already you can see a great inside out game forming between Jennings and the three frontcourt players. My only area of concern is how Stuckey and Jennings will cope. Stuckey plays a game similar to Monta Ellis’ and as excited as that was, and it did lead to a playoff berth, Jennings looked like he could have played much better in a different environment. Luckily, new pistons signee Chauncy Billups says he thinks Stuckey can become “a great player” and that he will guide him throughout the season. This is great news because Billups is one of the smartest players in the NBA and he can teach both young guards how to play with each other in the best way possible. Inside you have two young bigs in Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Monroe has looked really good so far, especially the past two seasons. Just 23 years old, he’s coming into his fourth NBA season after averaging 16 points and 9.6 rebounds. He has been getting better year by year and showed great progress last year. He can be one of the best bigs in the NBA moving forward. Next to him is Andre Drummond, coming off his rookie season he averaged 7.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in just 20 minutes a game. These are great numbers in that time span and he got better each game. He was one of the team’s most efficient players, he and Monroe could be a dominant force inside for years, as both have a nice complete game. The team’s biggest acquisition was Josh Smith. Smith is super athletic and talented who plays well on both sides of the court. He’s been labeled an all star snub in recent years. On defense, he’s a terrific shot blocker and uses his athleticism to stick with opponents and give them headaches. On offense, he has a nice mid range jumper and is nearly unstoppable when he gets into the paint. Plus he is a great dunker. He needs to limit the amount of three point shots and improve his shot selection however. With Jennings working with him, they could create a nice one two punch. He is also versatile, able to play both Small Forward and Power Forward effectively and he’s a solid rebounder. These starting group looks like they can easily play together and I expect a lot of inside and outside scoring. Now Jennings can work that screen with the bigs he has, as he did in his 55 point game. The team’s first round pick (8th overall), is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope, the SEC player of the year and is a great athlete like Josh Smith, which he uses to play good defense, an area where he has potential to improve upon. He has a great shot but he needs to use his athletic ability to get to the rim. He’s good at getting skills and uses his speed to finish in transition. He’s athletic but he has great instincts as a shooter. His only glaring weakness is ball handling, if he figures out how to get to the rim with he could be a valuable piece for years. Another move I really liked was bringing in Italian League MVP Luigi Datome. He is 25 years old and a great shooter. He is 6’9 and he averaged 16.4 PPG in 33 minutes while shooting 46.7% from the field, 39.4% from three, and 92.6% from the stripe. He plays small forward with all the tools to be successful. This was a low risk high reward move as he’s just making $3.5M over two years. From what I’ve seen of him, he seems like a smart player who is a good scorer. Here are some highlights:
Still my favorite signing was Chauncey Billups. At this point in his career he’s not a game changer but he’s a hell of a mentor and with all the young guys, especially at guard positions he will serve a great purpose. In Detroit, he’ll play for two years at $5M and retire a piston, where he won an NBA title and was named finals MVP. He’ll be moved back to his natural PG position (he was played as an off guard in LAC). He’s still a good player, while he averaged only 8.4 PPG last year as a starter, he had injury problems and he averaged 15 the year prior, although he only played 20 games until injury. In Detroit, his minutes will be reduced, so he most likely will stay healthy. It helps that Mr. Big Shot comes through in the clutch. The Pistons have some other valuable pieces, such as Kyle Singler who showed promise last year and was named to the All Rookie second team, Jonas Jerebeko is solid guy off the bench and is a hard worker that makes hustle plays. Charlie Villanueva is still somewhat serviceable, and though he may be over looked Peyton Siva is a favorite of mine as I liked him when he played at Louisville. Finally, they have Will Bynum, who has been a solid player. He’s a been a good sixth man for them, averaging 10 PPG in 18.8 MPG is impressive. Many people don’t know he once had 20 assist in one game. Concluding, I think Jennings really takes the team to a new level. They are in serious playoff contention. This team is young and talented, Joe Dumars has done a nice job.
In a move that was highly anticipated since the New Orleans Hornets changed to the Pelicans, the NBA has made it official. The Hornets will officially be back in Charlotte. Their teal jerseys and team colors were among the post popular in the 90s and some of the best players to ever play in Charlotte played under that moniker. This will take effect after next season, meaning the 2014-15 NBA season. The fans were excited. The team was a lot more successful under this name than the Bobcats. The team had the nickname “Buzz City” as in the buzz from Hornets. Before this move was made official, the team made a website titled: backbuzzcity.com
This move was made official yesterday and all sorts of festivals were going on in Charlotte. MJ stated before he wanted to “bring the buzz back” and it has happened. To see what Jordan had to say now: “We’re thrilled to bring back the Hornets to Charlotte and the Carolinas,” Jordan said. “The passion and enthusiasm around this name change by fans in this market has been unmatched. They overwhelmingly told us what they wanted, we listened and we couldn’t be happier with the Board of Governors’ approval of the name change. With the young team we are developing on the court, the direction of our business and the return of the Hornets name, we are extremely excited about our future. The buzz is back!”
Here is an interesting nugget on how the team got it’s name in the first place:
“The Hornets nickname in Charlotte dates back to the Revolutionary War, when British General Charles Cornwallis compared the resistance in Charlotte to a hornet’s nest. It has been used in sports by a minor league baseball team (1901-73), an upstart football league team (1974-75) and the city’s first NBA franchise.” -The Charlotte Observer
What do you think of the name change? Will it effect their performance on the court? It certainly will bring in more fans to the stadium.
The Toronto Raptors are coming off a disappointing season, however the team is hoping to have all of their new acquisitions from both this and last year meshed in order to be a competitive team. The team is filled with young talent as well as a skilled player in Rudy Gay whom they acquired during the trade deadline of last year. The biggest move the Raptors did was this offseason in which they named Masai Ujiri as GM, formerly of the Denver Nuggets and the reigning NBA Executive of the Year. Ujiri has stated he did not want the team to tank, interestingly enough NBA prospect Andrew Wiggins who is projected to go first overall in next years draft stated he’d like to play for the Raptors. The first major move he made was trading Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks for Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, Quentin Richardson, and three draft picks (2016 first, 2014 second, 2017 first). Camby has been bought out and Quentin Richardson is next in line. Essentially, the only player they receive is Novak, who is one of the NBA’s best three point shooters and just what the Raptors need. Toronto was downright terrible shooting the three ball at just 34.3%. In Toronto, Novak will be asked to stretch the floor and knock down threes. It was time for Bargnani and Toronto to part ways anyway. This also allows for promising big man and 2011 5th overall pick Jonas Valanciunas to play more and develop. The team also amnestied Linas Kleiza which was a wise move as he’s coming off an injury and it saves them from a luxury tax hit. He then signed Tyler Hansbrough to a multi year deal (2 years $7.2M) another young big man looking for a fresh start. Hansbrough is one of the toughest players in the league. He brings physicality to the team and while he may not be a game changer he’s the kind of gritty player you’d love to have on your side. To quote Hansbrough: “I felt like they could use a guy like me,” Hansbrough said. “I can bring a lot of toughness to the team, a lot of hard work and effort and bring some leadership just the way I approach the game and hopefully it will rub off.” A good signing for the Raptors as they’ve lacked a presence similar to Hansbrough since Reggie Evans left. To explain the fresh start part, Hansbrough recently stated he’s more than just the role player he’s been for the Pacers. He feels he could use his skills effectively and improved to take his game to the next level. Defense is undoubtedly his strong suit but he feels he can improve his offense to be a more complete player. Moving on, the Raptors have a skilled point guard by the name of Kyle Lowry. Now that Jose Calderon is out of town, Lowry has a bigger role and he has more freedom to gel with fellow wing players Rudy Gay and Demar Derozan whom I will speak more of later. Lowry proved himself a capable starter in his last two years in Houston where he posted averages of 14 points and 6.65 assist in 122 games (109 starts) in that time span. He is a tough defender who is quick and can get to the rim. Another interesting thin about Lowry is his ability to rebound where he averaged 4.3 a game in that time span as well as 4.7 a game last year. At just 6 feet that is impressive. Now with a full season under his belt in Toronto expect more out of him this year. Backing him up are newly signed FAs DJ Augustin and Dwight Buycks. Augustin was another capable starting PG in Charlotte where he averaged 14.4 ppg and 6.1 assist in his last full season there but he struggled last year in Indiana backing up George Hill. Now, DJ is looking to put that season behind him and prove himself worthy again. Augustin provides energy and play making off the bench and he was signed to a one year contract worth just $1.2M. Dwight Buycks on the other hand is an unproven yet promising player who flashed a ton of potential in the summer league. He averaged 15.1 points for the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA D-League in 2011-12 and he averaged 18 points a game last year in France. Moving to shooting guard, the Raptors have Demar Derozan another young promising player. He is one of the most electrifying players who is able to score but needs to work on his jump shot. He is a player I have been a big fan of since he entered the NBA and he gets better every year including last year which he posted career highs in points per game (18.1), rebounds per game (3.9), assist per game (2.5), free throw percentage (83.1%), three point percentage (28.3%), and minutes per game (36.7). Behind him is Terrence Ross from Washington and the 2012 8th overall pick. Ross is another electrifying player and the reigning dunk contest champion. His rookie year was somewhat of a let down as he averaged just 6.4 points a game on 40.7% shooting. Both Raptors fans and I expected more. Although he did show flashes last year in a 29 point outing vs the Blazers in which he sunk six threes. This next year is huge for him. Ross is very talented and athletic which makes him a solid defender with potential and he’s already a solid ball handler with good vision. What he needs to do is improve his offense game and mechanics to become a game changer. Fellow sophomore Jonas V who was introduced earlier has bulked up this off season is ready to be a solid contributor. The fate of the Raptors season and future may very well depend on the development of this two players. Filling out the starting lineup is star Rudy Gay and solid PF Amir Johnson. Gay was brought in via trade by the Grizzlies and is a solid all around player who can do it all. Gay averaged 19.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assist playing for Raptors last year. Pretty solid all around numbers. There have been trade rumors about Gay in the last few weeks but if the team wants to make the playoffs this year they’d be wise to keep him. The Raptors have a bright future IMO. Just look at the roster:
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: DeMar Derozan
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Jonas Valanciunas
Amir Johnson played well last year averaging 10 points and 7.5 rebounds (both career best) having Hansbrough behind him is a tough physical tandem. Behind Jonas is Aaron Gray, the team’s former starting center who can rebound and defend but not much more. The last key piece of the roster is Landry Fields. Fields was once a promising rookie. He was named rookie of the month as well as All-Rookie First Team. His rookie year was by far his best where he averaged 10 points and 6.4 dimes starting 81 games. But Landry’s play has dipped every year since including averaging less than 5 ppg last year. He’s talented and hopes for a bounce back year next season. In my opinion, the final three playoff spots in the East are wide open. Possible candidates include Washington, Hawks, Cavs, and others. Even the Bobcats may have a shot. As of now, I don’t have Toronto in the playoffs. However they are certainly there in the race to me. It still remains that other Eastern teams are better and the Raptors may not be able to compete and the mess continues with players not getting along etc. However I don’t see that happening.The Raptors are certainly talented but can they make the playoffs?
John Wall says he needs to be in the playoffs. Can he?
NBA Free Agent Frenzy is slowing down and fans are starting to discuss the upcoming season. The Warriors, Rockets, and Nets seem to be the most improved teams, but many overlook the Washington Wizards. Last season, the Wizards had another poor year, winning less than 30 games. However, John Wall was out for nearly half the season. At the time had Wall came back into the lineup, the team had just 5 wins under their belt. With Wall, the team nearly had a winning record. John Wall wasn’t the only key player who was plagued with injuries. Nene missed 21 games, and Bradley Beal missed 26 (as did Trevor Ariza) . If the team had stayed healthy they could have easily been a playoff team last year. However, not all of last year was bad. Beal showed a ton of promise and Martell Webster developed into a leader for the team. The Wizards acquired some great young talent via draft in Otto Porter this year. Porter, the third overall pick, is a physical specimen at 6’8 he is a versatile defender with a high basketball IQ. The team also acquired Eric Maynor via free agency. Maynor is a very promising point guard who–until injury–looked like he could have been a key part of the Thunder’s success for the future. After battling with injuries, he had a come back season in Portland last year and flashed the same potential. Inside, the Wizards have two solid bigs in Emeka Okafor and Nene. Both are good defenders. Now to discuss the bench: Behind those two they have solid contributors with Kevin Seraphin and Trevor Booker however they need to add a true center. On the wings, they have Trevor Ariza who is an NBA vet with multiple playoff games under his belt as well as NBA finals experience. He is a solid role player. Chris Singleton is another promising player on the squad. I already talked about Martell Webster and Otto Porter (it will be interesting to see who takes the starting job at the three) but the team also has 2011 sixth overall pick Jan Vesley, who has been a disappointment so far but he has a lot of potential and the team is not giving up on him. Backing up Wall are Eric Maynor (already discussed) and Garrett Temple who was resigned because he did a decent job filling in for Wall last year. The team also drafted Glen Rice Jr from the NBA D League who is an intriguing prospect. Add all that to a starting lineup of:
PG: John Wall
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Otto Porter
PF: Nene
C: Emeka Okafor
and the team looks pretty good
The wizards players are incredibly motivated as well. Several of the players including: Otto Porter, John Wall, and Martell Webster have made recent statements about the team doing well and specifically making the playoffs.
Conclusion:
In the end, I believe the Washington Wizards will make the playoffs in 2014. They have the talent, the motivation, and the drive. They have a solid bench to back up their impressive starting five. Most importantly, the future looks bright for this team.
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