- I can't believe that I have to eat my words, but I can believe that Eli Manning is an elite quarterback and the Giants are a better team than the Jets. I shouldn't even be mentioning the Jets in the same sentence as the G-Men right now, but the Giants really pulled it together and it's mainly due to Eli putting the team on his back and leading on the field and on the sidelines.
I said I wanted to see Eli continue his strong season in the games when it mattered; in the last game of the season against a desperate Dallas team he threw for 346 yards, 3 scores and completed over 70% of his passes, clinching the division and a playoff birth for the Giants. In the Wild Card matchup against Atlanta, Eli was at it again throwing for 277 yards and 3 scores, again with a completion percentage over 70. Then against Green Bay and San Francisco (both road games), who went a combined 28-4 in 2011, he threw for 330 yards and 316 yards respectively with 5 total touchdowns. The key stats in these games is 4 wins and one total interception!
Eli's in the zone and ready to defend his elite status, against a less than stellar Patriots defense. If sports were all logic this game should go to the Giants and Eli should take home his second Super Bowl MVP trophy. I'm not going to make any predictions, but I think we're in for a good game between two of the elite quarterbacks in the game. You happy now Giants fans? Sorry, Eli.
- While on the topic of New York teams, I can totally believe that the Knicks are off to the start that they're off to. I'm not going to say I'm not disappointed in their slow start, but to have expected them to be at the top of the standings at this point in the season, without a point guard, would have been incredibly wishful thinking. The fact of the matter is this is an incomplete team, playing in a lockout shortened season, in a system that really can't thrive without an offensive facilitator.
Look up and down the Knicks roster, who do they have that can successfully run an NBA offense? Toney Douglas is a shooting guard in a point guard's body, and quite frankly never played the point or has run an intricate offense. Mike Bibby's a dinosaur. Iman Shumpert has a tremendous skill set but hasn't been called on to be a distributor at any point in his basketball life. Jeremy Lin can't crack the rotation. It's sad but the Knicks last hope on their current roster is Baron Davis, who isn't going to be near 100% until around the All-Star break.
The Knicks had two main issues to address this offseason, point guard and big man. They did more than address the second of those issues, but if Baron Davis can't get healthy, or when he is healthy can't be the Baron Davis of old (which would make sense, because he hasn't gotten any younger and his work ethic probably hasn't gotten better), this Knicks team is going to disappoint a fan base that unrealistically thought they were further ahead in their rebuilding phase than they actually are.
And don't go blaming all of this on Carmelo Anthony. It doesn't look good for Melo when he takes the amount of shots that he takes and his teammates don't get the touches they need, but what do you expect when D'Antoni asks him to bring the ball up court and start the offense? The offense runs through Melo, so when he brings the ball up and gets to within 30-feet of the basket with the ball already, it's essentially Melo time. We've seen how efficient he and Amar'e Stoudemire could be together with a point guard getting them the ball, and without that catalyst for the offense, it could be a long, disappointing season.
But please be patient as this is a REBUILDING phase for the Knicks. Knicks fans all want them to be back to competing for a title because they have two all-star caliber players, but it takes a complete team to really compete in this league...unless you have LeBron.
Look up and down the Knicks roster, who do they have that can successfully run an NBA offense? Toney Douglas is a shooting guard in a point guard's body, and quite frankly never played the point or has run an intricate offense. Mike Bibby's a dinosaur. Iman Shumpert has a tremendous skill set but hasn't been called on to be a distributor at any point in his basketball life. Jeremy Lin can't crack the rotation. It's sad but the Knicks last hope on their current roster is Baron Davis, who isn't going to be near 100% until around the All-Star break.
The Knicks had two main issues to address this offseason, point guard and big man. They did more than address the second of those issues, but if Baron Davis can't get healthy, or when he is healthy can't be the Baron Davis of old (which would make sense, because he hasn't gotten any younger and his work ethic probably hasn't gotten better), this Knicks team is going to disappoint a fan base that unrealistically thought they were further ahead in their rebuilding phase than they actually are.
And don't go blaming all of this on Carmelo Anthony. It doesn't look good for Melo when he takes the amount of shots that he takes and his teammates don't get the touches they need, but what do you expect when D'Antoni asks him to bring the ball up court and start the offense? The offense runs through Melo, so when he brings the ball up and gets to within 30-feet of the basket with the ball already, it's essentially Melo time. We've seen how efficient he and Amar'e Stoudemire could be together with a point guard getting them the ball, and without that catalyst for the offense, it could be a long, disappointing season.
But please be patient as this is a REBUILDING phase for the Knicks. Knicks fans all want them to be back to competing for a title because they have two all-star caliber players, but it takes a complete team to really compete in this league...unless you have LeBron.
-Speaking of LeBron, I can totally believe that the Heat, Thunder, Bulls, and Nuggets seem to be the cream of the crop in the NBA this season. This is going to be (already is) one of the more wild regular seasons in NBA history, where the playoffs could have completely different results than the season. Obviously everyone expected for the Heat, Thunder, and Bulls to battle for supremacy all season long, but where are the Mavs, Celtics, and Lakers? It was surprising to see such experienced teams get off to such slow starts, but this season is going to be a grind where the more athletic teams with the younger, fresher legs really prevail and run away with better records.
Even teams like Indiana and Philadelphia are playing better than anyone expected because they're comprised of young talented players that are familiar with one another. This is the season for a surprise team to take the league by storm, and that team could end up either being the Sixers or the aforementioned Nuggets. I don't want to tie the Nuggets in with the Knicks, but adding guys like Danilo Gallinari, Corey Brewer and Al Harrington to an offense run by Ty Lawson, who's one of the most underrated players in the league, really works better for an up-tempo offense than having a very talented guy like Carmelo Anthony who tends to slow down an offense.
As for Philadelphia, the core of the Sixers have been together for 2-4 seasons at this point, and with young quick guards like Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams, veteran wing players like Andre Iguodala and and Thaddeus Young, and complimentary big men who demand attention on all parts of the floor like Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes, this is a dangerous team. Consider that they're playing in a division that neither the Celtics or Knicks seemingly want to win, and this could be the year that the Sixers end up getting past the first round of the playoffs.
-Last NBA topic, I can't believe how good the Clippers are already. I know how good Chris Paul is, and I knew he'd be the perfect guy to play alongside two athletically gifted (understatement) bigs, but the other offseason additions that the Clips made are the difference between them competing and contending this season.
Between Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, the Clippers added two guys who can score in a variety of ways, offer veteran leadership to a team of guys who haven't competed at the highest of levels, and most importantly, fill out a roster. Those two guys with Chris Paul make up 3 of the teams 5 starting spots, and allow Mo Williams to come off the bench where he has already earned a spot next to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford as the league's best spark plug scorer's. Add Randy Foye, Reggie Evans, and now Kenyon Martin to this equation and this team is as good on paper as any team in the league. Watch out!
-A little college charm: I can't believe how good Aaron Craft and Thomas Robinson are. I originally was going to go out on a limb and declare each the best at their position, but Craft really doesn't have the numbers. Robinson on the other hand, is averaging 17.6 ppg and 12 rpg (#2 in the NCAA), and has done everything in his power to make the Jayhawks faithful forget not one, but two Morris's.
At this point, Robinson has posted 15 double-doubles in 22 games, including lines of 30 and 21, 21 and 18, 20 and 17, and 27 and 14 against a Baylor team that may boast the best frontcourt in the nation outside of Kentucky. Robinson showed signs of his capabilities as a Sophomore, but with the offense essentially running through him, he has led this top-10 Kansas team and will keep them in every game through late March.
Speaking of leading, I just can't get over how incredible of a player Aaron Craft is. I've watched a fair amount of Ohio State games (as everyone's on Sullinger watch), and I haven't seen a point guard play like him since Steve Blake. He's the type of player that hits big shots, gets his guy the ball where they're the most effective, and plays lockdown defense. I'm sorry for comparing him to another white point guard, but he's possibly the most efficient facilitator (I know it's Kendall Marshall) in the NCAA, and possibly the best defensive guard as well.
The Buckeyes have stifled guard heavy teams like Duke, Michigan, and Florida, and part of that has been Craft's intensity on the defensive end. He single-handedly took Seth Curry and Erving Walker out of their respective games, and caused Trey Burke to commit 5 Turnovers, his second worst output of the season. As important as Jared Sullinger is to the Buckeyes and their title hopes, Aaron Craft is the engine that makes that team go.
Those are my quick thoughts, I hope to post my hoops thoughts a bit more frequently, and will definitely address the state of the NFL shortly after this weekend. As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy the Super Bowl!
Even teams like Indiana and Philadelphia are playing better than anyone expected because they're comprised of young talented players that are familiar with one another. This is the season for a surprise team to take the league by storm, and that team could end up either being the Sixers or the aforementioned Nuggets. I don't want to tie the Nuggets in with the Knicks, but adding guys like Danilo Gallinari, Corey Brewer and Al Harrington to an offense run by Ty Lawson, who's one of the most underrated players in the league, really works better for an up-tempo offense than having a very talented guy like Carmelo Anthony who tends to slow down an offense.
As for Philadelphia, the core of the Sixers have been together for 2-4 seasons at this point, and with young quick guards like Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams, veteran wing players like Andre Iguodala and and Thaddeus Young, and complimentary big men who demand attention on all parts of the floor like Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes, this is a dangerous team. Consider that they're playing in a division that neither the Celtics or Knicks seemingly want to win, and this could be the year that the Sixers end up getting past the first round of the playoffs.
-Last NBA topic, I can't believe how good the Clippers are already. I know how good Chris Paul is, and I knew he'd be the perfect guy to play alongside two athletically gifted (understatement) bigs, but the other offseason additions that the Clips made are the difference between them competing and contending this season.
Between Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, the Clippers added two guys who can score in a variety of ways, offer veteran leadership to a team of guys who haven't competed at the highest of levels, and most importantly, fill out a roster. Those two guys with Chris Paul make up 3 of the teams 5 starting spots, and allow Mo Williams to come off the bench where he has already earned a spot next to Jason Terry and Jamal Crawford as the league's best spark plug scorer's. Add Randy Foye, Reggie Evans, and now Kenyon Martin to this equation and this team is as good on paper as any team in the league. Watch out!
-A little college charm: I can't believe how good Aaron Craft and Thomas Robinson are. I originally was going to go out on a limb and declare each the best at their position, but Craft really doesn't have the numbers. Robinson on the other hand, is averaging 17.6 ppg and 12 rpg (#2 in the NCAA), and has done everything in his power to make the Jayhawks faithful forget not one, but two Morris's.
At this point, Robinson has posted 15 double-doubles in 22 games, including lines of 30 and 21, 21 and 18, 20 and 17, and 27 and 14 against a Baylor team that may boast the best frontcourt in the nation outside of Kentucky. Robinson showed signs of his capabilities as a Sophomore, but with the offense essentially running through him, he has led this top-10 Kansas team and will keep them in every game through late March.
Speaking of leading, I just can't get over how incredible of a player Aaron Craft is. I've watched a fair amount of Ohio State games (as everyone's on Sullinger watch), and I haven't seen a point guard play like him since Steve Blake. He's the type of player that hits big shots, gets his guy the ball where they're the most effective, and plays lockdown defense. I'm sorry for comparing him to another white point guard, but he's possibly the most efficient facilitator (I know it's Kendall Marshall) in the NCAA, and possibly the best defensive guard as well.
The Buckeyes have stifled guard heavy teams like Duke, Michigan, and Florida, and part of that has been Craft's intensity on the defensive end. He single-handedly took Seth Curry and Erving Walker out of their respective games, and caused Trey Burke to commit 5 Turnovers, his second worst output of the season. As important as Jared Sullinger is to the Buckeyes and their title hopes, Aaron Craft is the engine that makes that team go.
Those are my quick thoughts, I hope to post my hoops thoughts a bit more frequently, and will definitely address the state of the NFL shortly after this weekend. As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy the Super Bowl!
