NCAA Basketball: Freshman stars shine on opening night

People who know me know that I get excited for every single NCAA basketball season for a variety of reasons. Those reasons include my love for betting, love for the game of basketball, and love for the excitement of tight finishes that happen every year. It takes a specific person to get excited each year for NCAA basketball because most people find it slower (stupid 35 second shot clock), and most people find that teams play a specific way that limits individual talent. This is of course true, but this year I am not alone in my circle of friends, nor is any college basketball fanatic for that matter because since the days that Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul were playing their college ball, the 2013-2014 NCAA basketball season could equal or surpass any previous season. The freshman class this year is top notch, teams are more well rounded and with some minor rule changes by the NCAA (finally) you will see these freshman superstars ability to shine through every week as we did on opening night last night. 

The top 3 ranked freshman did not hesitate to show off their ability last night as they all had outstanding games. We will start in Kansas where the most talked about freshman made his debut for the Jayhawks and did not disappoint. Andrew Wiggins poured in 16 points and added 3 steals in his college basketball debut. The most compelling stat line for Wiggins was that he scored his 16 points on just 5 of 9 shooting. Although, he looked passive at times which has been much talked about leading up to the opener, Wiggins still looked extremely explosive, blowing by guys off the bounce like he was back in high school. If Wiggins can be more aggressive you will see him average 20 points per game easily. 

Next, we will go to my favorite team in the Duke Blue Devils and Jabari Parker. Parker was an absolute machine, showing off his low post game, outside shooting, and hops throughout last nights game. Parker finished with 22 points and 6 rebounds in a dominating Blue Devils performance. Duke will possibly be the most exciting team to watch this season with a style of play that any basketball fan would love. Parker looked unstoppable on the court showing why he should be a top 5 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. 

Finally, the most dominating performance out of the 3 goes to Julius Randle of Kentucky, who poured in 23 points and 15 boards as the young Wildcats demolished UNC-Asheville. Kentucky easily has most talented team in the country, Randle stood out above them all. He has a bright bright future and will contend with Wiggins for the #1 pick in the upcoming draft. 

If game #1 was any indication of how this NCAA basketball season will go you better buckle your seat belt. There are too many good teams in all conferences and I didn't even mention half of the quality players. Although, neither team will have a true test in the first part of their season, expect Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky to make deep runs into March with Wiggins, Parker, and Randle capturing all of the headlines.

Written by:

Garrett Daly 

  

The impact of the James Harden Trade

The Trade:
In an NBA offseason dominated by Dwight Howard & Steve Nash headlines the Western Conference gets a little juicier with a trade I'm sure no one expected. Here's how the trade breaks down if you haven't seen it.
OKC gets: Kevin Martin (funny looking shot), Jeremy Lamb (one of my busts), 2 first round picks in 2013, and a 2nd round pick in 2013.
Houston gets: James Harden (6th man of the year winner last year), Cole Aldrich (probably won't here this guys name every again after this post), Lazar Hayward (same as Aldrich comment), and Daequan Cook (will be inserted to hit some 3's over the course of the year).


Houston moving forward:
On a team where Jeremy Lin will touch the ball as much as possible, I don't fully like this move for the Rockets. The Rockets have been the busiest team in the last several months and I actually thought it was a good move acquiring the 2013 first pick from the Raptors, but they have gone and flushed that move down the toilet. Anyway, the Rockets starting five looks like it will be Lin, Harden, Parsons, Patterson, and Asik. They're starting five actually is pretty decent but I question the ability of Lin & Harden to play together when they both like to handle the ball an awful lot. Another area I question is the bench of the Rockets which is below average with me being nice by saying that. The upside is they have two rookies in Royce White & Terrence Jones that could potentially break out, and overall they're a very young team with a bright future. I just hate to see when a team throws all of their money at one guy that only proved himself over a short period of time and a guy who I'm not 100% sure you can build a team around. With their draft picks gone we will see what kind of team the Houston Rockets are moving forward but I wouldn't get too excited just yet.

OKC moving forward:
At first, I won't lie I was like why in the bleep did you just trade the 6th man of the year. But, then I looked more into what they got for him and I came around. I don't mind them acquiring Lamb because he has a chance to become a superstar, and if he doesn't there is really no harm done. What stands out to me is the money they save trading Harden & the two first round picks. OKC has a great track record of drafting well and Sam Presti will have two shots at drafting an excellent player in the 2013 draft. Also, by saving the money they would have forked over to Harden they now have the ability to leverage those picks in a trade and possibly get a quality player close to the trade deadline. Moving forward I like OKC's future in the long run more than the short run, but the additions of Kevin Martin who can fill the net and a young guy in Lamb who can learn from one of the best in the game doesn't hurt them either.

Houston has showed it's hand, while I think OKC has given us just a little taste. Trade winner goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder for me.

Written by:

Garrett Daly
@DalyGarrett

Analysis of the new NBA flopping policy

The majority of NBA fans will tell you that there has been flopping issues in the league for a long time now. They will also tell you that this kind of act affects the legitimacy of the game and the league as a whole. I can assure you that during a typical night of games you will see at least 1-3 obvious flops occurring. Everyone hates flopping whether it's in the NBA or during a late night adventure after the bar with a girl (if you catch my drift). This being said prior to the new flopping rule coming out I saw a challenge for the NBA to establish a rule that kept the integrity of the game in tact, but limited the number of flops that happen (especially in the playoffs). I should have known David Stern would tackle the issue with dollar bills on his mind.

The rule:

In short, here is the new NBA flopping policy. First time you do it you get a warning. From there you get fined $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, $30,000, after that the player is subject to league discipline.

The Beef:

First off, I just want to say that I do believe a flopping policy is needed in the NBA today. I am a defensive minded guy, I love low scoring games but I think the league approached this the wrong way. In most cases it is very difficult for the refs to determine if the guy is flopping during a live game, and although we at home as well as the league have the benefit of instant replay to see how the player reacts in super slow motion there is still a grey area in cases where 1) the defensive player gets injured on the play, 2) the defensive player was already injured and may have aggravated something, 3) the defensive player lost his balance or slipped or the offensive player lost his balance or slipped. Now, I do realize by bringing up these three points people will read this and say that's why they have replay for these things. Regardless of that I still believe it's a grey area and with a trigger happy David Stern at the helm I don't think he will be very reluctant in taking advantage of this grey area. There is a good chance we will see some similar headaches to the NHL when they issued their "hitting to the head" policy this past year.

My next issue deals with cash fines. Every player under contract in the NBA has the right to the money they earn under that agreement just as we do at our own jobs. They should not be stripped of compensation on a continuous basis when the issue is grey and uncertain. Also, even though this seems to contradict my previous statement, history has proven that players don't really care all that much about getting fined. Also, they don't really learn their lesson from it. I think this approach by the NBA is a way of making more money for the league, which will spark retaliation from the players & owners verbally resulting again in more fines & more money for the league.

My Solution:

My approach is quite simple. In obvious circumstances (which I can assure you there will be) the first violation will be a warning. The second violation will be a 2 game suspension without pay and will increase by 2 games for each violation. In terms of the grey area that should be at the discretion of Stu Jackson (Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations) and Stu Jackson alone. Jackson should treat everyone fairly with the focus being on the obvious cases, NOT the ones open to interpretation. In grey area cases I think the benefit of the doubt should go to the player & his track record of flops up until that date.

You may agree or disagree on my evaluation and/or my solution. But, it is clear to me David Stern's motive in all of this, we can only hope that numerous issues don't arise from this newly established policy.

You can view the official version of the new NBA flopping rule at http://www.nba.com/2012/news/10/03/anti-flopping-rule/index.html.

Written by:

Garrett Daly
@DalyGarrett on Twitter.

Rookie Watch: The top 5 Steals of the NBA draft

If you missed it, this past week I posted the top 5 busts of the NBA draft. It's all up on the blog website. The criteria for a "steal", from my point of view is pretty simple; 1) where they were drafted in relation to who was drafted ahead of them, and 2) the potential of them becoming an impact player for their respective team in the NBA. Let us commence.  

1. Jae Crowder/Marquette/Drafted No. 34 by Cleveland & traded to Dallas:

The knock on this guy is that he's not as young as many others in the draft, he's not quick enough to play the 3 & not big enough to play the 4. These are the same NBA scouts who let Kenneth Faried drop to No. 22 & Isaiah Thomas drop to No. 60. Crowder was the player of the year in arguably the hardest conference in college basketball that being the Big East. I'm not going to go as far as saying he will be a starter in no time but I will say that he will fight for rotation time and be a high energy guy coming off the bench that will produce for the Mavs. 

2. Perry Jones III/Baylor/Drafted No. 28 by Oklahoma City:

I would be real stupid not to put this guy on the list. He dropped because of his knee issues but what a catch for the Thunder. Jones game is taylor made for the NBA and he could possibly become a star with Kevin Durant as his mentor. I know he didn't produce in the NCAA tournament but that was a completely different style of basketball and his teammates were unable to find him in his comfort zone. He does need to work on his physical & mental toughness but boy oh boy the Thunder might have hit the jackpot here. 

 3. Will Barton/Memphis/Drafted No. 40 by Portland Trail Blazers:

I might be a little bias here because this guy was probably my favorite college basketball player last year. He did everything for Memphis (I mean everything) and is a real talented player. He has a lot to work on including his jumper and being able to control his emotions at key points as he can be like a chicken with his head cut off at times. But, he's young and is a workhorse and the Blazers could use one of those. Don't be surprised if you hear this guys name at the All-Star break. 

4. Darius Miller/Kentucky/Drafted No. 46 by New Orleans Hornets:

This guy can ball, straight up. He was completely overshadowed by the freshman crop at Kentucky but when they needed buckets the most they went to this guy. He's a physical player who almost always makes smart decisions. He will have to work hard to crack the rotation and I'm going out on a stretch here but if he does crack the Hornets rotation your looking at a versatile guy who will make much smarter decisions than Austin Rivers, I can promise you that. 

5. Quincy Miller/Baylor/Drafted No. 38 by Denver Nuggets:

I wanted so bad to put Kyle O'Quinn out of Norfolk State here, but I just couldn't do it. Miller much like his teammate Perry Jones III is made for the NBA. He's long and can shoot. He definitely has a lot to work on to be a good player in the NBA thats why he dropped to where he was, but if he can improve and can get there he will be a really good NBA player. Being as young as he is I had to put him here strictly based on potential. I'm really routing for O'Quinn though. 

Notables: Draymond Green drafted No.35 by Golden State & Kim English drafted No. 44 by Detroit. 

Written By:

Garrett Daly

@DalyGarrett on Twitter

Rookie Watch: 5 Busts for the upcoming NBA Season

While watching Rajon Rondo play for the Kentucky Wildcats (who were not a good team at the time by the way) I knew he was going to star in the NBA for years to come. Whenever I bring that up to people they always say things like "easy for you to say now Daly", or "no you didn't know that". I feel that I have an eye for talent coming out of the NCAA and I hope to prove it to you with this article and the one after. When I say 5 busts, I mean upcoming rookies in which their respective teams will have had very high hopes based on where they were drafted. Furthermore, I will publish my 5 steals of the draft on sunday at the normal time. Enjoy!

Let us begin with the busts.

1. Meyers Leonard/Illinois/Drafted No. 11 by the Portland Trail Blazers: 

What in the world was Portland thinking here. They drafted a potentially great point guard in Damian Lillard at #6. Now, they think they can pair up Leonard with Aldridge and hope Lillard can get him the ball and hope that Leonard can defend. The upside to Leonard is that he is young, tall and can shoot a bit. The downside is this isn't college basketball and he won't face soft centers like he did in the Big 10. One out two for Portland in this draft. Thanks for coming.

2. Tyler Zeller/North Carolina/Drafted No. 17 by the Dallas Mavericks & Traded to Cleveland:

When the Mavs drafted him I nearly crapped my pants. But, luckily Cuban had me going and traded him to the Cavs. I know I will receive a lot of grief from Tar Heel fans saying I'm bias because I'm a Duke fan. But, yet again we find a team trying to match their PG and PF with a complimentary center. I will give him one thing I think he's better than Leonard. Unfortunately, he is not his brother who will most likely enter the draft next year. Tar Heel fans should be thankful I don't put John Henson & Harrison Barnes on this list. 

3. Jeremy Lamb/Uconn/Drafted No. 12 by the Houston Rockets:

I will give Lamb one thing, he can fill the net. He is a good individual scorer which usually transfers well to the NBA but not in this case. He scored on a team where Kemba Walker created everything, creating easy shots for Lamb. This past year I think he showed his true colors. He doesn't shoot the ball at a high percentage and is easily convinced to put up 3 ball after 3 ball. He will get pushed around in the NBA and is no Kevin Durant. He might have a couple double digit games, but overall a bust. 

4. John Jenkins/Vanderbilt/Drafted No. 23 by the Atlanta Hawks:

You may be asking yourself why will Jenkins be a bust if he was drafted all the way down at No. 23. Just wait until you see my 5 steals list and then you will realize. Jenkins was a fantastic college basketball player but he can't shoot as well as J.J Reddick and will find it extremely difficult to get minutes and create for himself. I smell a D-League visit for the guy, making him my 4th Bust. 

5. Andre Drummond/Uconn/ Drafted No. 9 by the Detroit Pistons:

Saved the best for last. I had to put someone from the top ten on the list and I won't lie I was tempted to put Harrison Barnes on it. But, instead I went with Drummond because with all the upside to him he did not impress me with his development in his one year at Uconn. He was the same player from start to finish. Don't get me wrong he has a chance to be special. That being said how many times have we seen overhyped big men come into the draft and become busts. That's why I have three of them on this list. 

Stay tuned Sunday for the Daly Dose 5 steals of the 2012 draft. 

Written by:

Garrett Daly

Follow me @DalyGarrett

2012-2013 NBA Preview

Here we go ladies, in about 3 weeks time the NBA will begin it's regular season. On that note, I will do my preview for the season, and seed the Eastern & Western conference playoff teams 1-8. There are numerous story lines that will be great to watch this season, so get in your car seat get your mommy to strap you in and let's go!!

The Heavyweights: 
These are pretty clear so I will make this short and sweet. Miami is poised to repeat with virtually their entire team back, oh and I almost forgot they added Ray Allen so when you're trying to double Lebron James the best three point shooter in history will be waiting in the corner. Oklahoma City should be slotted to make another deep postseason run with revenge on their minds and virtually the same team. Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers. Don't give me this crap about what if they don't find any chemistry, what if Dwight tries to take over the team. First, Kobe won't let that happen and when you add a 2 time MVP in Steve Nash and pretty much a shoe in to win defensive player of the year every year, you're a heavyweight in my mind.

The wannabe contenders but they just pretending:
This is when I'm sure things will get controversial. I'm sure everyone has a variety of opinions on who they think has a shot to go the finals but I'm not doing this to please New York Knick fans. The New York Knicks are yet again a pretender for me due to the fact that they just don't have those key ingredients to win a championship. To me that is something like the Heat going out and getting Shane Battier to complete their squad. Yes, much of the credit goes to Lebron but Battier brought a lot of intangibles to the team. Now, I love Melo but I think his track record speaks for itself that he tends to not get it done when it really really counts. The addition of Jason Kidd might help, but let's be real the Knicks are the Knicks and I smell an early first round exit. My other team that falls into this category is the San Antonio Spurs and you're probably wondering why. My reasoning for this is pretty simple, they will be a good regular season team again, but due to how the western conference teams are shaping up and the age of the Spurs I think you will see an earlier exit in the playoffs this year, especially after how they performed against the Thunder, talk about the engine running out of steam.

Where did those guys come from:
If you can't figure out my heading, these are my sleeper picks. Now I'm not talking about sleeper picks to win the whole thing, but sleeper picks to improve and/or get into the playoffs and possibly do some damage. Also, I just want to mention sleeper picks to me are teams that finished 6th or below last year in their respective conferences. First, let's start with the Utah Jazz. They finished 8th last year but I think have added some key pieces that if the chemistry goes well could be really good for the team. In the front court you have both Favors and Jefferson who are a strong presence, you added a guy like Marvin Williams who needed a  change and Mo Williams who is instant offense. Also, you have Gordon Hayward who in my mind is an upcoming star in the league. Look for the Jazz to improve upon their 8th place finish in the Western Conference.

Second, let's go with the Dallas Mavericks. Now, I know I will get the gears because they're my favorite team but having said that I think the upcoming season for the Mavs can go either way. They have added the likes of Brand, Kaman, Mayo, and Collison among others and have an interesting make-up. I think if this group can gel, while having Dirk lead the way you're going to see a dangerous team come playoff time. Although, they will probably finish pretty low to start the playoffs.

Let's wrap up the Western conference with the Golden State Warriors. Most of you might have thought I could go with the Blazers or T-Wolves but I like the Warriors for a couple reasons. They're going to get their guys back Curry & Bogut. They have a solid front court and a decent backcourt and I think they will surprise a lot of people this year in how they play.

Shifting to the Eastern conference, let's begin with the Toronto Raptors. Yes, I have optimism every year but this year might be a bit different. They have their coach and they have players that fit the style coach Casey wants to play. Do I think they will go deep into the playoffs, no. Just for the record I don't like the addition of Fields and I pray they get rid of Calderon. But, I do believe they will improve on their awful 23-43 record last year.

I had a couple teams in mind for my last sleeper in the East like the Cavs or the Bucks. But, I just have to go with the Washington Wizards because I'm looking at their roster and they should be a lot better this year. I think the drafting of Beal will pay dividends in how they play, because he can really stretch the floor for them. Also, I think Okafor brings stability to the front court and I like the addition of Webster as well. The key for the wizards every year is discipline but they don't have Blatche, so I'm confident moving forward.

Below is how I think each conference will be seeded for the playoffs. By the way I left the T-Wolves off due to the fact I believe it will be too little too late with no Rubio until December and the improvement of other Western conference teams.

Eastern Conference:
1. Miami Heat
2. Indiana Pacers
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Boston Celtics
5. Brooklyn Nets
6. New York Knicks
7. Chicago Bulls
8. Toronto Raptors


Western Conference:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Utah Jazz
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Denver Nuggets


Written By:

Garrett Daly
@DalyGarrett

Every strikeout brings you closer to a home run

Baseball is the kind of sport you usually don't have to pay that much attention to throughout the season and when it comes time for October baseball you wait and see if the New York Yankees play the Boston Red Sox. However, this year the 2012 MLB season has been one to remember, and the best in any recent memory I have. You may be wondering why this season has been any different from past seasons, but I'm going to tell you why right here, right now. For the record I am not some closet Baltimore Orioles fan coming out now when the time is right.

You don't need much bait for this trout: 
Mike Trout has been an astonishing edition to the Lose Angeles Angels and the future of the American League. He will probably end up finishing second in the AL MVP race and he is only a rookie, that's right a rookie. He's the first player in the history of the game to have 30 Home Runs and 40 Stolen Bases in his first season, he is also an excellent defender and is only 21 years old. Trout is an insane talent and will keep the Angels contenders for many years to come (I give no props to Albert Pujols).

AL/NL MVP Race:
You may be asking "why is the MVP race so important"? I will tell you why. Let's start with the National League where Melky Cabrera was the clear leader to take the MVP and lead the Giants into the postseason until he decided he needed a little juice. The steroids cost him a 50 game suspension, and furthermore we learned how stupid he was when he created his own website to try and make it all seem right. Glad they don't IQ test in the MLB. The best part of this story is that more than likely Cabrera's teammate Buster Posey will win the NL MVP, also help the Giants return to the postseason, while coming off a broken leg injury which caused him to miss pretty much the entire year last year. Oh, and about that 50 game suspension that is up for Cabrera, the Giants have decided to leave him off the postseason roster. That might be best, he can focus on working on his website development skills at home.

Now the AL, for the first time since 1967 we might see a triple crown winner in Miguel Cabrera. It will come right down to the wire as he currently leads in Batting Average and RBI's, and is tied for first in Home Runs with Josh Hamilton. But, nonetheless if he gets the triple crown or doesn't he might have single-handedly led his the Detroit Tigers back into the postseason. Wonder which Cabrera is happier?

Perfect Games/No Hitters: The only thing I have to say about this is there have been 7 Perfect games or No Hitters this year. Wow.

Playoff Races: This is the cream of the crop for sure on a variety of levels. First, let's start with simply the photo finishes. With about two weeks to go a little while ago we had as many as 5-6 teams vying for 2 wild card spots in both the AL & NL. Now with 3 games left, we still do not have a winner in the hardest division in baseball, the AL East. For you fans just tuning into baseball, it is not coming down to the Yankees & Red Sox. This leads me to what I want to talk about next. I'm sure Commissioner Bud Selig was crapping his pants all September long praying the Orioles and Athletics would stay in the hunt. I am glad to tell you Bud that they have, and for the first time in a long time two non traditional baseball market teams will be in the postseason (barring a miracle from Tampa or the Angels). Not only that, if the Orioles manage to win the AL East, Oakland has a chance to beat the Yankees in the 1 game playoff. Thank you Bud Selig for this new playoff format, which is going to be off the hook. A special thank you to both the Baltimore Orioles & Oakland Athletics for sticking it to the lopsided way of baseball and granting the opportunity for every non New York Yankee fan to cheer for a Baltimore or Oakland vs Washington Nationals World Series.

Speaking of the Washington Nationals, another non traditional baseball market. They have been the story of the NL, easily making the playoffs for the first time since well (deep sigh) they were the Montreal Expos (Sorry Expos fans). They have one of the best pitchers in the game and a 19 year old rookie in Bryce Harper who much like Mike Trout was off the charts this year and will make the Nationals a force to be reckoned with in the NL for many many years.

The new playoff format has brought the baseball world thoroughly exciting baseball leading up to October. As many as 3 non powerhouse baseball teams could make the playoffs. I now know why they advertise October baseball so hard because it will be one to remember for sure. This baseball that the MLB has brought us is here to stay folks, so get used to it.

Written By:

Garrett Daly
Follow me @DalyGarrett