Six Sporty Thought Snacks on a Snowy Saturday
1. OKC
Russell Westbrook returned last night and apparently KD will not be far behind. Seventeen games in, the Thunder sit at 5 – 12. It looks like 49 wins will be the watermark for the playoffs meaning they have to finish 44– 21 to make it in. Of course, who wants to play the 8th seed if it’s a surging OKC team? Look for two possible types of tanking in March and April. The first would involve losing games to give up the number one seed to avoid the Thunder. The second would involve teams in the top four losing to other possible eighth seeds to keep the Thunder out of the playoffs. The latter could be the final straw for the NBA and its inability to deal with tanking. New rule; compete or get out!
2. Ray Rice
I hate scenarios where both sides are wrong and they use the ineptitude of the other side to make their point. Rice was wrong for knocking out his wife. Completely and utterly wrong. He should have received a just punishment at the time but he did not, Goodell gave him two games. Sorry NFL, you do not get to reinvent the justice system. Goodell then suspended him indefinitely when the video came out. He lied about knowing the video ever existed and claimed a ton of untruths. What did his puny brain imagine happened in the elevator? (All of these actions would warrant a stiffer penalty if Goodell were a player.) He is still speaking in legalese when he discusses these issues. The bottom line is both sides were wrong and should receive just punishment. Ray Rice has been punished and his career could be over. The NFL and its domestic abuse policy was flawed beyond belief. Not just the policy but their attitude towards domestic abuse. Unfortunately, it looks like Goodell will never be tried for his errors.
3. Solving the East vs West Problem
Mark Cuban wants to realign the NBA to solve the powerful west problem. I guess he figures he might be better off with his Mavericks eating up on some of the East Coast duds. He is right, but he also has to remember how bad the West was. In the 90s, the West only won three titles and his Mavericks were the joke of the league. It tends to even itself out. The East has won significantly more NBA Titles than the East so let’s pump the breaks a little. As always, the knee jerk reaction is the wrong response. (See Roger Goodell.)
4. Grey Cup Weekend
It’s a solid weekend of Canadian football as The McMaster Marauders will play L'Université de Montréal Carabins in the Vanier cup for the CIS Championship. (Yes NCAA, Canada has had a university football playoff system for years and it is awesome!) On Sunday, the 102nd Grey Cup will see the Hamilton Tiger-Cats play the Calgary Stampeders. The atmosphere will be great and the Grey Cup is usually a good show. I love that ESPN host Chris Berman shows some Canadian love and predicts the winner on NFL countdown.
5. Black Friday Sale in Sacramento
Derrick Williams was a highly touted player when he was chosen second overall by Minnesota in 2011 after his Arizona Wildcat Sophomore season. He has never quite worked out but I believe a lot of the problem was location, location, location. In Minnesota he played behind Kevin Love and in Sacramento a lot of the inside play goes through Boogie Cousins. Watch for him to land on a team and reinvent himself as a solid starter. Teams like the Lakers or the 76ers could afford to give him all the minutes he wants and it will help him to develop. Keep in mind, in the 80s he would only be going into his second year after completing his four years in college.
6. Solid Stories for women in Sports
I came across both this week. Neither needs to be hyped and both are essential views\reads.
Bill Cooper: Ladies First
http://www.twentytengroup.com/ladies_first
Catching Kayla
*Raptors Watch*
On Espn.com, we are first in the Hollinger and third in the Stein rankings. Since last Friday, we are 4-1 against and remain first in the Eastern Conference; all quality wins and a four point loss to a very tough Maverick team. DeRozan went down with a groin strain and did not return. It looks like he will miss a few games. Look for the Raps to leave him home for the West Coast road trip. I believe they can finish the week 3-1 at best but no worse than 2-2. A lot of teams will watch last night’s game to see how the Mavericks handled the Dinos.
