It’s only Tuesday, so maybe we’ll get two updates this week….probably not,…but hey, I can dream.
Here’s the day’s random collection of sports thoughts:
1. I believe last night’s performance by Rex Grossman may very well have been the worst ever by a fantasy QB starting for his team. In my fantasy league’s format, Rex’s 6 turnovers combined with other horrible stats netted him -5 points. By contrast, my QB Matt Hassleback got me 33 points. Good job Rex.
2. Guys, have you ever been holding something and dropped it and gone to catch it just as the object falls below your waist and you catch it by inadvertently slamming it into…well…yourself? Uhmmm, me neither, but if I had that feeling as you double over in pain while contemplating your own stupidity is how the Arizona Cardinals and their fans all feel right now. What an embarrassment. At least Leinert looked great. Pretty cold comfort I’m guessing.
3. Remember how I said Edge was going to miss Indy a whole lot more than the other way around? When a team lets their “franchise” back just walk out the door, other teams should consider that before they overpay. Is Edge helping the Cards at all right now? They really needed him for one play last night, that late first down on short yardage. I know he has a horrible O line, but he is just unimpressive.
4. Another tough loss last weekend for my Niners. Luckily, they get to get well against a soft and well rested coming off a bye Bears’ D. Yikes. Poor Alex Smith. Still the Niner’s O continues to impress. Now if the D could just start holding teams under 30, we might have something. I hope the Niners draft defensive players with every pick next year. On the plus side, Gore is now 2 weeks without a fumble and continues to be as good for me in fantasy as he is for the Niners in real life, which is fun.
5. Speaking of fantasy, I took a 1-1 split last week. Sadly, the team I lost to had almost all his good players on the bye and still destroyed me. Not a good sign for me moving forward. Still, if I can just go .500 the rest of the way, I should make the playoffs which is what matters right now. This coming week should be 2 losses however as the bye is wiping me out. I lose Gore, Deuce, Ravens, newly acquired Antonio Bryant and still won’t have Larry fitzgerald or Matt Jones. In other words, my team is in the hands of Leon Washington. Yikes.
6. My son Gibson and I went to the Blazer scrimmage/fan appreciation day this past Sunday and after seeing them live (from courtside seats no less) for the first time this year, here are my thoughts about the team.
a. Point Guards – Portland is really thin and young at guard. On the day he was drafted, I predicted Jack would supplant Bassy as the PG of the future and he has not disappointed. It looks to me like Jack has improved his mid range shot and looks strong and in control as the starting PG. That said, he is not super quick and I don’t expect Portland to run all that well with him at the lead. Dan Dickau also looked good and I would expect him to get a fair amount of minutes especially early on in the season. Sergio “The Spanish Magician” Rodriguez looked pretty good too. No super flashy passes in the scrimmage, but he’s quick and puts the ball on the money, but didn’t look for his own shot at all. I like Jack and Dickau quite a bit, but they are so inexperienced, Portland is going to struggle again on offense. I think by mid season Jack will be really good and things will start to turn around, but it could be rocky early. Still, Jack is a stud, but might be in trouble against guys like Parker, Baron Davis and Nash (who doesn’t?). Too bad Dixon can’t play point, just for the experience. But he can’t.
b. Shooting Guards – Who are the 2s on this team? Jack, Martel Webster and Brandon Roy all saw time there in the scrimmage and I think that is how it will look during the regular season. Martel looks improved, but still camps a lot out at the 3 point line, rarely looking to drive. He also forced up some of the worst shots taken during the scrimmage. I thinking he is pressing a bit and hasn’t found the confidence he needs to relax and just use his talent. I was also surprised to see how well he dunked during the warm-up layup line before the game. Everyone was hot-doggin and Martel and Roy and Outlaw put on a show. Those last 2 were no surprise, but Webster can jump much better than I thought he could. Jack is big enough and can score well enough that he can play some 2 either with Roy at the one or Dickau at the one or in sets when a healthy D Miles might get that duty. Of course, the real gem here is B Roy, which stands for Rookie of the Year. He looked like a 5 year vet out there. That quiet confidence he showed in college where he looks to be able to take over the game is still with him. No one on this team can stay in front of him if he wants to go to the hoop. He finishes with either hand, can run the point or play the 2, can D either position and could even play some 3 from what I saw. His shot is pure and already had deep range, though I can see that as an area for improvement. He’s going to play 40 minutes for this team spending some time at both the one and 2. I’m not putting him in this category yet, but Portland will use him like Miami uses D Wade. He’s the same “type” of player. Not as fast or as good yet, but he’s a keeper.
c. Small Forward – If you are a blazer fan, I’m sorry to have to break this to you, but Outlaw is not going to bust out. He can run really fast and jump really high, but he still can’t shoot and still looks lost on the court much of the time. I think he is and will always be a poor man’s Darius Miles. I hope he proves me wrong, this team really needs him, but I don’t see it. Webster should get most of the run at 3 unless they need Outlaw’s D. Miles was injured so didn’t play, but of course I’m hoping he gets traded soon anyway. The thing is, he will start when he gets back. I don’t see Webster able to beat him out yet. This is easily the Blazers’ weakest position so don’t be surprised if they go big this year and play Raef or even Zach at the 3 from time to time.
d. Power Forward – The Blazers are loaded with good size. Zebo looks trim and fully recovered from the knee surgery. He wasn’t that aggressive on offense, but he could also score whenever he wanted to. So many usefully offensive sets rely on having a guy who can be a threat to score with his back to the basket. Zach is on a very short list of guys in the NBA who can provide that as incredible as that might sound. This is why he is so valuable. I hope he keeps it together and meshes with the team. He didn’t seem to click particularly well with the guards which is a concern, but I’m holding out hope. After Zach, Zendon Hamilton (who looked really good actually), Jamal Magloire, Joel Pryzbilla, Raef Lefrentz and eventually LeMarcus Aldridge (who didn’t play) will all play the 4 at times and all are capable. That said, as you look over that list only Zach and magloire (a little) can provide much offense. Jack and Roy are going to have to take a ton of shots this year. They just are.
e. Center – Magloire and Pryz are battling over who gets to start. I think Nate would prefer to start Joel and bring Jamal off the bench. Joel is a much better defender and is a smart player and good rebounder with very limited offense (as in none). Jamal would be a great option with the second unit. The offense mostly runs through the post (Zach) and Magloire could play that role with the second unit if he can get past not being a starter. Not sure if his ego will allow that so, I expect him to start.
f. Other observations
i. Guys were really hustling. Especially, Raef and Dickau. I think Nate is still in control of this team
ii. The team already defers to Roy. They clearly work to get him the ball when they need a bucket.
iii. Magloire is shorter than I thought.
iv. Dickau is going to become a quick fan favorite with his hustle and scrappy play.
v. This is going to be a slowish half court team like SA or Miami. Personally, while I like the Suns style better to watch, I don’t think this is a problem. Only the Suns ran an uptempo game with success last year and for all the talk about a trend in the NBA to go small and push the ball, only one team did it well last year.
vi. I’m still worried about where the offense is going to come from. Zach is going to have to score 20 points a game for them to be at all competitive unless Martel takes a big step forward and Roy comes through now. Won’t surprise me at all if Jack finishes no worse than 3rd in scoring. He’s strong and can finish and has a really nice 15 foot jumper.
Ok, that’s enough for today.
Here’s the day’s random collection of sports thoughts:
1. I believe last night’s performance by Rex Grossman may very well have been the worst ever by a fantasy QB starting for his team. In my fantasy league’s format, Rex’s 6 turnovers combined with other horrible stats netted him -5 points. By contrast, my QB Matt Hassleback got me 33 points. Good job Rex.
2. Guys, have you ever been holding something and dropped it and gone to catch it just as the object falls below your waist and you catch it by inadvertently slamming it into…well…yourself? Uhmmm, me neither, but if I had that feeling as you double over in pain while contemplating your own stupidity is how the Arizona Cardinals and their fans all feel right now. What an embarrassment. At least Leinert looked great. Pretty cold comfort I’m guessing.
3. Remember how I said Edge was going to miss Indy a whole lot more than the other way around? When a team lets their “franchise” back just walk out the door, other teams should consider that before they overpay. Is Edge helping the Cards at all right now? They really needed him for one play last night, that late first down on short yardage. I know he has a horrible O line, but he is just unimpressive.
4. Another tough loss last weekend for my Niners. Luckily, they get to get well against a soft and well rested coming off a bye Bears’ D. Yikes. Poor Alex Smith. Still the Niner’s O continues to impress. Now if the D could just start holding teams under 30, we might have something. I hope the Niners draft defensive players with every pick next year. On the plus side, Gore is now 2 weeks without a fumble and continues to be as good for me in fantasy as he is for the Niners in real life, which is fun.
5. Speaking of fantasy, I took a 1-1 split last week. Sadly, the team I lost to had almost all his good players on the bye and still destroyed me. Not a good sign for me moving forward. Still, if I can just go .500 the rest of the way, I should make the playoffs which is what matters right now. This coming week should be 2 losses however as the bye is wiping me out. I lose Gore, Deuce, Ravens, newly acquired Antonio Bryant and still won’t have Larry fitzgerald or Matt Jones. In other words, my team is in the hands of Leon Washington. Yikes.
6. My son Gibson and I went to the Blazer scrimmage/fan appreciation day this past Sunday and after seeing them live (from courtside seats no less) for the first time this year, here are my thoughts about the team.
a. Point Guards – Portland is really thin and young at guard. On the day he was drafted, I predicted Jack would supplant Bassy as the PG of the future and he has not disappointed. It looks to me like Jack has improved his mid range shot and looks strong and in control as the starting PG. That said, he is not super quick and I don’t expect Portland to run all that well with him at the lead. Dan Dickau also looked good and I would expect him to get a fair amount of minutes especially early on in the season. Sergio “The Spanish Magician” Rodriguez looked pretty good too. No super flashy passes in the scrimmage, but he’s quick and puts the ball on the money, but didn’t look for his own shot at all. I like Jack and Dickau quite a bit, but they are so inexperienced, Portland is going to struggle again on offense. I think by mid season Jack will be really good and things will start to turn around, but it could be rocky early. Still, Jack is a stud, but might be in trouble against guys like Parker, Baron Davis and Nash (who doesn’t?). Too bad Dixon can’t play point, just for the experience. But he can’t.
b. Shooting Guards – Who are the 2s on this team? Jack, Martel Webster and Brandon Roy all saw time there in the scrimmage and I think that is how it will look during the regular season. Martel looks improved, but still camps a lot out at the 3 point line, rarely looking to drive. He also forced up some of the worst shots taken during the scrimmage. I thinking he is pressing a bit and hasn’t found the confidence he needs to relax and just use his talent. I was also surprised to see how well he dunked during the warm-up layup line before the game. Everyone was hot-doggin and Martel and Roy and Outlaw put on a show. Those last 2 were no surprise, but Webster can jump much better than I thought he could. Jack is big enough and can score well enough that he can play some 2 either with Roy at the one or Dickau at the one or in sets when a healthy D Miles might get that duty. Of course, the real gem here is B Roy, which stands for Rookie of the Year. He looked like a 5 year vet out there. That quiet confidence he showed in college where he looks to be able to take over the game is still with him. No one on this team can stay in front of him if he wants to go to the hoop. He finishes with either hand, can run the point or play the 2, can D either position and could even play some 3 from what I saw. His shot is pure and already had deep range, though I can see that as an area for improvement. He’s going to play 40 minutes for this team spending some time at both the one and 2. I’m not putting him in this category yet, but Portland will use him like Miami uses D Wade. He’s the same “type” of player. Not as fast or as good yet, but he’s a keeper.
c. Small Forward – If you are a blazer fan, I’m sorry to have to break this to you, but Outlaw is not going to bust out. He can run really fast and jump really high, but he still can’t shoot and still looks lost on the court much of the time. I think he is and will always be a poor man’s Darius Miles. I hope he proves me wrong, this team really needs him, but I don’t see it. Webster should get most of the run at 3 unless they need Outlaw’s D. Miles was injured so didn’t play, but of course I’m hoping he gets traded soon anyway. The thing is, he will start when he gets back. I don’t see Webster able to beat him out yet. This is easily the Blazers’ weakest position so don’t be surprised if they go big this year and play Raef or even Zach at the 3 from time to time.
d. Power Forward – The Blazers are loaded with good size. Zebo looks trim and fully recovered from the knee surgery. He wasn’t that aggressive on offense, but he could also score whenever he wanted to. So many usefully offensive sets rely on having a guy who can be a threat to score with his back to the basket. Zach is on a very short list of guys in the NBA who can provide that as incredible as that might sound. This is why he is so valuable. I hope he keeps it together and meshes with the team. He didn’t seem to click particularly well with the guards which is a concern, but I’m holding out hope. After Zach, Zendon Hamilton (who looked really good actually), Jamal Magloire, Joel Pryzbilla, Raef Lefrentz and eventually LeMarcus Aldridge (who didn’t play) will all play the 4 at times and all are capable. That said, as you look over that list only Zach and magloire (a little) can provide much offense. Jack and Roy are going to have to take a ton of shots this year. They just are.
e. Center – Magloire and Pryz are battling over who gets to start. I think Nate would prefer to start Joel and bring Jamal off the bench. Joel is a much better defender and is a smart player and good rebounder with very limited offense (as in none). Jamal would be a great option with the second unit. The offense mostly runs through the post (Zach) and Magloire could play that role with the second unit if he can get past not being a starter. Not sure if his ego will allow that so, I expect him to start.
f. Other observations
i. Guys were really hustling. Especially, Raef and Dickau. I think Nate is still in control of this team
ii. The team already defers to Roy. They clearly work to get him the ball when they need a bucket.
iii. Magloire is shorter than I thought.
iv. Dickau is going to become a quick fan favorite with his hustle and scrappy play.
v. This is going to be a slowish half court team like SA or Miami. Personally, while I like the Suns style better to watch, I don’t think this is a problem. Only the Suns ran an uptempo game with success last year and for all the talk about a trend in the NBA to go small and push the ball, only one team did it well last year.
vi. I’m still worried about where the offense is going to come from. Zach is going to have to score 20 points a game for them to be at all competitive unless Martel takes a big step forward and Roy comes through now. Won’t surprise me at all if Jack finishes no worse than 3rd in scoring. He’s strong and can finish and has a really nice 15 foot jumper.
Ok, that’s enough for today.
Comments
I'm glad to see that Jack is coming along. I was shocked in college by the fact that he was basically a Marbury clone, in appearance. Same build, same shaved head, same number, same school, same cheesy 'stache. Luckily for the Blazers and you, he seems to be a much better team player than Starbury ever was, is, or will be. So there's that.
Another factor in Dickau becoming a fan favorite is that he grew up across the river in the Couv. He was an All-State player at nearby Prarie High School and a lot of people in the area have followed him ever since ... at all 19 NBA stops. But seriously, I think he could be a good local favorite. I was surprised they traded him a few years ago and think it will work out better this time around. Whenever he gets anything resembling a chance, he plays really well. Maybe I am just remembering the 47 he hung on me in an 8th grade AAU game. That might be it.
I'm only writing this once, on a hunch, and posting it here rather than in an email so that others in the league could presumably see it, but one guy that might help you in your bye week is Chris Perry. The word is that he's going to get a lot of run this Sunday both backing up Rudi and working out of the slot (since all the Bengals receivers are headed for prison). He may or may not be better than Leon, but just thought I'd throw it out there, since I'm not playing you anyway.
Edge is brutal but I can't tell if it is him or the line. Most people are blaming it all on the line, but I'm not sure. Arrington (who sucks) had half the total yards on four touches. Statistical oddity? Or indictment of Edge? James has become a total finesse runner ever since that knee injury and that was fine in Indy where he could run the stretch every play, slip past a linebacker, and get out of bounds. He rarely had to slam between the tackles for big yards and he almost never broke big runs. Everything was 5 to 20 yards, an extremely efficient part of the cog. I do think Indy misses him because he got really good at doing that one thing, but you were right, he misses Indy a whole lot more. He can't hide in that system anymore, so now we see what is left: a running back with a ton of miles on him that can't hit the hole, doesn't cut back that well, and can't outrun anyone in the secondary. Yuck. I have no idea how you can continue to feed the ball to a guy that is sitting on 49 yards at 30 carries (he got seven more carries for six yards). As I wrote on my blog, that is kind of like a baseball team leaving a starting pitcher in to "scatter" 26 hits over eight innings. You have to pull the plug at some point. Terrible job by Arizona.