Basketball Without Backboards

Thursday's Picks

Clippers +3.5 vs Portland: The Trail blazers have beaten the Clippers 8 out of the last 9 times these two teams have met up and already beat them by 9 earlier this year. What has changed is the emergence of Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon. The Clippers enter tonights matchup winners of 3 in a row and 6 of their last 7, they are also 6-1 ATS in that stretch. The Clippers are not just beating up on bad teams either, during  that stretch they have wins against the lakers, heat and nuggets. Portland also has a 3 game win streak and has one of the hottest players in the league right now in LaMarcus Aldridge. The Clippers are not a great road, just 3-12 away from Staples, but Griffin and Gordon should keep them in this throughout.
Pick: Clippers

Va Tech +5 vs Maryland: Remember when Juan Dixon was leading Maryland to a national championship? Those glory days seem so long ago. Maryland once again has a star to build around in Jordan Williams, the problem is that he is a power forward who does not touch the ball enough. Maryland is a terrible shooting team, once of the worst in the country in fact shooting just 32% from three. That is a major problem seeing as how Va Tech will play a 2-3 zone. Malcolm Delaney is a big time scorer for the hokies averaging 18 ppg. Expect the zone of Va Tech to trouble Maryland all night.
Pick: Va Tech

Season: 3-5

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NBA Mid-Season Report

At this point every team in the NBA has played 41 or more games, which means its time for mid-season awards and honors. These are not necessarily players I am predicting to win these honors at seasons end. These are the players who are deserving the halfway point, it is subject to change.

Executive of the Year 

Pat Riley, Miami Heat- After one of the most successful coaching careers in NBA history, Riley is making his mark as an executive. He not only kept Dwayne Wade, he managed to accommodate him by stealing two other franchise players. One of those players is the reigning back-to-back MVP. Enough said.

Other Candidates: Otis Smith (Orlando Magic), Donnie Walsh (New York Knicks)

Most Improved Player

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwovles- The biggest surprise of this season, by far. He's on pace to be the first player to average 20-15 since Moses Malone in 1983. Minnesota seems to do pretty well with big-men named Kevin.

Other Candidates: Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers), Raymond Felton (New York Knicks), Michael Beasley (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Sixth Man of the Year

Jamal Crawford, Atlanta Hawks- The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is the leading candidate for the award at the half. He's the teams third leading scorer with 16 points per contest and is the league's best back-up floor general.

Other Candidates: Jason Terry (Dals Mavericks), Glenn Davis (Boston Celtics), Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)

Coach of the Year

Greg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs- After two seasons finishing with a bottom 3 play-off seed, Popovich has the Spurs feeling like it's the early 2000's again. Despite their aging nucleus, San Antonio currently holds the best record in basketball and are looking for their fifth title in 11 years.

Other Candidates: Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls), Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz), Monty Williams (New Orleans Hornets),

Rookie of the Year

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers- As I said in my previous post, Blake Griffin will likely be the first deserving Rookie All-Star since Duncan (I don't consider Yao Ming to be deserving). In his first 41 games in the NBA Griffin is putting up 20-12 and going toe-to-toe with elite big men like Amare Stoudemire and Pau Gasol.

Other Candidates: John Wall (Washingtong Wizards), Landry Fields (New York Knicks), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacromento Kings)

Defensive Player of the Year

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic- While Kevin Love leads all rebounders, Dwight Howard still rules the glass. He is the only player that ranks top 5 in rebounding (13.2) and blocks (2.2). On top of that he still manages 1.2 steals per game . He's a lock for a record third consecutive DPOY and I'm not sure if there is any other player that will contend with him in the foreseeable future. 

Other Candidates: Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks)

Most Valuable Player

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls- Rose is averaging 24ppg and 8apg (top 10 in both categories) while leading the Bulls to impressive victories over Boston, Miami and Los Angeles. The explosive floor-general has not only reinvented himself, but has reinvented his team. Rose has brought the Chicago from mediocrity to excellence and could be the youngest player to win the MVP.

Other Candidates: Amare Stoudemire (New York Knicks), LeBron James (Miami Heat), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)

All NBA Mid-Season Team

1st                                                                                                                       

G: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls                            

G: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers        

C: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic           

F:  Dirk Nowizki, Dallas Mavericks           

F: LeBron James, Miami Heat                  

2nd   

G: Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets 

G: Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat

C: Amare Stoudemire, New York Knicks

F: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

F: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers

3rd

G: Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics

G: Derron Williams, Utah Jazz

C: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

F: Chris Bosh, Miami Heat

F: Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers

Power Rankings

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Miami Heat

3. Boston Celtics

4. Los Angeles Lakers

5. Chicago Bulls

6. Dallas Mavericks

7. Orlando Magic

8. Utah Jazz

9. Atlanta Hawks

10. Oklahoma City Thunder

Dwight Howard!!!

NFL Draft: N2N

Notre Dame has fallen on hard times in the past few years but with Brian Kelley now the head coach things look to be on the upside. Unfortunately for Kelley he will be without his tight end Kyle Rudolph who entered the draft. When healthy, the 6-6 tight end can be a game changer.

Stats: Coming out of high school Rudolph was rated as the nations best tight end and a USA Today All-American. Rudolph was the first tight end in Notre Dame history to start every game as a freshmen.

Freshmen yr: 29 rec, 340 yards, 2 td's
Sophomore yr: 33 rec, 364 yards, 3 td's
Junior yr: 28 rec, 328 yards, 3 td's

Rudolph only played in 6 games this past season but made his presence felt in those games. In only 2 games did Rudolph register less than 5 catches. His best game came in week two against Michigan when he exploded for 8 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. The question with Rudolph is durability, in 2009 he missed three games with a shoulder injury and this past season he missed 7 games with an evulsion in his hamstring(basically a tear).

Analysis:
Hands: Rudolph is a reliable receiver who will move-the-chains and make plays down the field. He does a good job of keeping his hands in front of his body when he goes up for balls. Able to reach the ball forward with one hand for scores or first downs. Has the ability to make the circus catch in traffic and he adjusts much better to high passes than those thrown low or behind him. The downside is he is known to drop some easy passes.


Route running: When you watch Kyle Rudolph you will notice that he runs like a receiver, stretching the field vertically and pressing safeties. He will also line up with his hand down, in the slot and in the backfield. Often used on short outs to move the chains. Gets his head around quickly to see the ball. Sells jerk routes with head fake to move safety inside or outside, though his movements are not sudden. Tough matchup down the seam because of his height and ability to grab passes above his head. Runs a lot of rounded and straight-line routes.



After the catch: A bullish runner, who gives good effort to get yards after the catch. He is not in the Vernon Davis category in terms of athleticism, but he does show flashes of ability to make the first man miss with a stiff arm or quick stop. Churns his legs to keep moving forward after contact; does not break as many tackles as you would expect and his height makes him lose the leverage battle.



Blocking: Has the size to be an effective in-line blocker at the next level. Capable of firing off the ball to seal defensive ends. Widens his base on the edge, uses long arms to hold off college defenders. Needs a lot of technique work as an open-field blocker. Gives some effort when engaged, but does not sustain or win battles as often as he should given his size. Stays too upright when approaching defenders and seems uncertain of his target, misses the inside man too often.


Projection: Early-mid second round pick. Think of Rob Gronkowski in terms of skill set. Matchup nightmare in the pass game but needs a lot of work in the blocking department if he is to become a complete tight end.