CFB Conference Realignment Proposal 2023

Let's get right to the point. If I was college football czar, this is how I would split the conferences:

Then the schedule would be as follows:
You play each team from your own pod (4 games)

You would play 1 team from each of the other pods on rotation (3 games)

You would have 1 designated crossover team you play each year (1 game)

Then we would have matchup week for the final regular season conference game.

This leaves us with 9 conf games and allows for 3 non-conf games.

Each team would be guaranteed 4 home and 4 away conf games.

For matchup week, we would take the team with the best conf record from each pod and seed them based off of CFP rankings. With highest ranked pod leader playing the lowest ranked, with the other two facing off. The higher ranked team would have the home field advantage. These matchups would allow for rematches. First tie breaker would be head to head, second would be CFP ranking.

For everyone else we would try to matchup a 2nd place pod team with another 2nd place pod team, and so on for 3rd through 5th. We would avoid rematches on these matchups.

Then the conf championship game would be the winners of the pod determined semi-final game. This game would be played at a neutral site with the winner getting an automatic bid to the CFP.

I tried to split the teams into pods both on geography and splitting traditional powerhouses. I also tried to keep traditional rivalries and tried to make some new ones. (i.e Maryland vs Oregon is the UA vs Nike game) (Texas vs Alabama, most money vs best program) (Rutgers vs UCLA, New York vs LA)

Now you may think, that's great but what about the rest of the Power 5 teams?!

To even think about having some conference be close to the same level as the Big 2 then I think we have to form a new conference. I am calling this the Coalition Athletic Conference (CAC).

Since all the traditional powerhouses are in the Big 2 conferences I mostly split this based on geography and keeping rivalries within the same pod.

For this conference the scheduling would need to be slightly different.

You would play everyone in your pod. (3 games)

You would play one team from the other side of the conf (East vs West) (1 game)

You would play each team from one other pod on your side of the conf  (4 games)

Example: First year it's each team in Pod 1 and 2 playing each other as well as Pods 3 and 4 against each other, the next year it would be Pods 1 and 3 as well as Pods 2 and 4, next year its Pods 1 and 4 as well as Pods 2 and 3 then we repeat.

Then we have matchup week for the final regular season conference game (1 game).

This leaves us with 9 conf games and 3 non-conf games.

Each team would be guaranteed 4 home and 4 away conf games.

For matchup week we would take the team with the best conf record from the combined pods and have them face off. The higher ranked team in the CFP rankings would have home field.

So for the first year it would be the team with the best conf record (head to head tie breaker, if 3 or more way tie then CFP rankings is tie breaker, if no team ranked in top 25 can request CFP committee to rank the tied teams to break tie) from combined Pods 1 and 2 playing the team with the best conf record from combined Pods 3 and 4. The combination of pods is the same as the pod you are playing each team from. So second year the combined pods would be 1 and 3 as well as 2 and 4. Then third year it would be 1 and 4 as well as 2 and 3.

For the other teams we would matchup 2nd vs 2nd from the combined pods and so on down the line. Since this is against a pod you didn't play in the regular season there is no chance for a rematch.

The conf championship game would be the winner of the East Pods and West Pods finals.

The winner would get an automatic CFP bid.

I really like the matchup weeks for the conferences. This makes the last week of regular season very interesting and dramatic. Also matching up across the board makes the games as closely matched and thus entertaining as possible. This could also give teams fighting for those at large bids one more quality opponent to add as a data point to their CFP rankings.

Now the CFP could still be a 12 team playoff, with only 3 automatic bids the other 9 could be at large bids based on the playoff rankings.

I did all neutral sites so no one college would get the extra revenues of an extra home game. I think that bowl game sites can bid for which round they would like to host.

In this proposal the 3 big conferences all have the same amount of conf games and all have a conf championship game. I like setting the matchups for each round based on the rankings of the available teams as that gives even more impact to the seed which puts even more importance on the regular season. Also hopefully this makes sure our best matchup is in the championship game.

I also really like the bye given to the conf champ and seeding preference and thus site preference to the conf champ over the at large teams for the Elite 8 round. I think this makes the conference championship games even more important.

There you have it. What I think us the most logical resolution to the realignment and playoff madness.

2021 Two-Round NFL Mock Draft

I did not watch game film or pro-days, so used draft rankings from ESPN. But compared that with needs and mocks across the internet with what I thought these teams needed by looking at their depth charts post FA.

Here we go:

 Round 1:

1. JAX - Trevor Lawrence (QB: Clemson)

Reason Urban Meyer came out of retirement for the Jags.

2. NYJ - Zach Wilson (QB: BYU)

Had a great season, everyone seems to say he is more pro ready than Fields.

3. SF - Justin Fields (QB: Ohio St)

Great fit with Shanahan, will be able to sit behind Jimmy G for one year.

4. ATL - Trey Lance (QB: NDSU)

Biggest transition from playing only 1 game in 2020 in FCS. Can sit behind Matt Ryan for 2 years. Seems to be a good fit with new head coach Smith's offense.

5. CIN - Kyle Pitts (TE: Florida)

TE is a position of need, more so than OT and WR. And Pitts can flank out to WR.

6. MIA - Penei Sewell (OT: Oregon)

To be able to trade down and still select the best OT is a great outcome.

7. DET - DeVonta Smith (WR: Alabama)

Think Smith is the best WR, will be getting open immediately and produce for Goff. Lions also have no other WRs.

8. CAR - Ja'Marr Chase (WR: LSU)

Arguably as good as Smith, replaces Samuel on the depth chart and gives Darnold a good receiving corps. Also reunites with Joe Brady.

9. DEN - Micah Parsons (LB: Penn St)

Vic Fangio wants an elite defense, this helps them get there. They give Drew Lock his last chance to secure the job, and one of the NFL's best defenses will only help.

10. DAL - Patrick Surtain (CB: Alabama)

Their defense is horrible, especially the defensive backfield. Pair Surtain with Diggs.

11. NYG - Gregory Rousseau (DE: Miami)

They need pass rush, offense is covered with the signing of Golloday and the return of Barkley.

12. PHI - Jaycee Horn (CB: South Carolina)

Yes they need receivers to step up, but their corners outside Slay are in worse shape than their receivers.

13. LAC - Rashawn Slater (OT/G: Northwestern)

Need starters at both LG and LT so whichever one that Slater is a bigger upgrade at put him there.

14. MIN - Christian Darrishaw (OT: Virginia Tech)

Also need starters at both LG and LT, Darrishaw is more of a pure tackle. They should be drafting a guard later on as well.

15. NE - Mac Jones (QB: Alabama)

After a spending spree their roster is pretty solid. Can take Jones and have him sit behind Newton at the start of the year and if Newton has another bad year can replace him.

16. ARI - Caleb Farley (CB: Virginia Tech)

After losing Patrick Peterson they can slot Farley in to take his place.

17. LV - Alijah Vera-Tucker (OT/G: USC)

After a massive reshuffling of their o-line to get a swing player like Vera-Tucker will be very helpful. Could start at RG or RT.

18. MIA - Jaylen Waddle (WR: Alabama)

This is a dream draft for MIA, to get a weapon at receiver to go along with Sewell. Reunites Tua with Waddle.

19. WSH - Teven Jenkins (OT: Oklahoma St)

Can fill hole left when Trent Williams forced his way out. Can start at LT and keep their theme of being a physical team.

20. CHI - Kadarius Toney (WR: Florida)

Need weapons, they have no good receivers after Allen Robinson.

21. IND - Kwity Paye (DE: Michigan)

Could use an OT but with the top 4 gone, take the highest ranked DE to replace Justin Houston.

22. TEN - Terrace Marshall (WR: LSU)

Need to replace Corey Davis' production. Signed Josh Reynolds but drafting Marshall gives them a deeper WR room.

23. NYJ - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB: Notre Dame)

Saleh will want to improve the defense, taking the 2nd best overall LB will do just that.

24. PIT - Creed Humphrey (C/G: Oklahoma)

Need to replace retiring center Pouncey. Their line needs work to protect Big Ben in his last attempt to go out a winner.

25. JAX - Trevon Moehrig (S: TCU)

Signed Shaquill Griffin to play corner so draft a starting safety.

26. CLE - Zaven Collins (OLB: Tulsa)

Take highest ranked OLB. Their top needs are on defense.

27. BAL - Azeez Ojulari (OLB: Georgia)

Need to have the defense to complement their MVP caliber QB and their run heavy offense. Need to replace Judon who went to NE.

28. NO - Elijah Moore (WR: Ole Miss)

Give Sean Payton weapons to transition the offense to the next QB.

29. GB - Jamin Davis (ILB: Kentucky)

They are 26-6 the last two seasons without drafting a WR in the first round, so instead draft a ILB to replace Kirksey.

30. BUF - Greg Newsome (CB: Northwestern)

Need good corners to be able to over take the Chiefs in the AFC.

31. KC - Liam Eichenberg (OT: Notre Dame)

Their line was a mess in the SB and they have really only added guards in FA. Draft the best available OT.

32. TB - Jalean Phillips (DE: Miami)

They brought back all 22 starters so dont really have any immediate needs. Take highest rated DL or OL because depth in the trenches is important.

Round 2:

33. JAX - Christian Barmore (DT: Alabama)

Can pair with Taven Bryant to form a pretty solid DT duo.

34. NYJ - Travis Etienne (RB: Clemson)

Only RB on the roster that is any good is Tevin Coleman. Etienne would start from day one.

35. ATL - Najee Harris (RB: Alabama)

Take Lance for the future and Harris for both now and in the future. Arthur Smith was able to maximize Derrick Henry so give him a RB1 to use.

36. MIA - Josepth Ossai (OLB: Texas)

Need to replace Kyle Van Noy. Ossai has a ton of untapped potential.

37. PHI - Rashod Bateman (WR: Minnesota)

Take best available WR after getting a corner in RD1.

38. CIN - Jalen Mayfield (OT: Michigan)

Take the highest ranked OL after drafting Pitts in RD1. Reiff could move inside to guard if necessary.

39. CAR - Asante Samuel (CB: Florida St)

Great first two picks for Carolina. Corner is their biggest need on defense.

40. DEN - Levi Onwuzurike (DT: Washington)

Upgrade the DL to be able to unleash Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Micah Parsons.

41. DET - Nick Bolton (ILB: Missouri)

They have no sure thing in the LB corps outside Jamie Collins.

42. NYG - Kelvin Joseph (CB: Kentucky)

Even after the trade for Adoree Jackson, they need another corner to go with Bradberry.

43. SF - Ifeatu Melfonwu (CB: Syracuse)

Need to replace Richard Sherman.

44. DAL - Jevon Holland (S: Oregon)

Lets double dip and try to make DAL secondary serviceable. Their offense should be good again with Dak returning.

45. JAX - Pat Friermuth (TE: Penn St)

They have a gaping hole at TE and will give Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence a target in the middle.

46. NE - Elijah Molden (CB: Washington)

Give NE a 3rd corner behind Gilmore and JC Jackson

47. LAC - Samuel Cosmi (OT: Texas)

Get a second potential starter on their line to have it no longer a weakness.

48. LV - Andre Cisco (S: Syracuse)

Jeff Heath is currently slated to start, Cisco could be an improvement.

49. ARI - Carlos Basham (DE: Wake Forest)

Need D-Linemen to play with JJ Watt.

50. MIA - Javonte Williams (RB: North Carolina)

Dream draft continues with being able to draft their starting RB.

51. WSH - Chris Rumph (OLB: Duke)

Need to add to the LB corps that the only proven piece is Jon Bostic

52. CHI - Kellen Mond (QB: Texas A&M)

Need to have a future beyond Dalton and Foles.

53. TEN - Ronnie Perkins (DE: Oklahoma)

Have needed a pass rush for years.

54. IND - Jabril Cox (LB: LSU)

Only legit LB is Darius Leonard, so get him some help here.

55. PIT - Walker Little (OT: Stanford)

Take highest available OT left to finish OL draft overhaul.

56. SEA - Quinn Meinerz (OG: Wisconsin-Whitewater)

Take highest available OG. Need a starter at LG and need to make Russell happy.

57. LAR - Joe Tryon (DE: Washington)

Need pass rush to take pressure off of Donald. Great value here.

58. BAL - Rondale Moore (WR: Purdue)

Different type of WR then they have in Brown, Boykin, or Watkins.

59. CLE - Jayson Oweh (DE: Penn St)

Need to have a DE emerge opposite Garrett, could be Takkarist McKinley but depth is always a good thing.

60. NO - Chazz Surratt (LB: North Carolina)

Saints defense will continue to need to be a top unit in the NFL now that their offense no longer has Brees.

61. BUF - Alex Leatherwood (OG: Alabama)

Create competition at the RG spot to potentially give Josh Allen a better O-Line in front of him.

62. GB - Tutu Atwell (WR: Louisville)

Tutu fell to GB in this mock and they can't NOT take him. Gives them a different weapon than Adams and Lazard.

63. KC - Patrick Jones (DE: Pitt)

KC saw how important a pass rush was in the super bowl.

64. TB - Wyatt Davis (OG: Ohio St)

Give Alex Cappa competition at the RG position.

Best available:

Payton Turner: (DE: Houston), Landon Dickerson (C/G: Alabama)

Tyson Cambell (CB: Georgia), Eric Stokes (CB: Georgia), Aaron Robinson (CB: UCF), Benjamin St-Juste (CB: Minnesota)

2020 NBA Preview

As a Laker fan this past year even with the break in action, social justice focus, and the bubble; this year ended exactly as it should have! Now looking forward to next year:

Projected Standings:

West:

1. Lakers

The Champs had another awesome offseason. It is past due time to give Rob Pelinka some love and respect. They are the most deep and talented team in the NBA. They were able to bring back Markieff Morris which I think is important for lineup flexibility. They improve the punch off their bench with signing the 6th man of the year in Montrezl Harrell. They were able to bring back KCP, replace Danny Green with Wesley Matthews, and replace JaVale McGee with Marc Gasol. They also then traded for Dennis Schroder to have another player along with Harrell to be on AD’s career timeline to go with Kuz and Caruso. They have a couple of athletic young players in Talen Horton-Tucker and Alfonso McKinnie but they should only play in blow outs. I am hoping the scoring punch of Schroder will make up for the play making they lost with Rondo. The only concern I have is getting off to a slow start since they will have the shortest offseason in NBA history. Guessing LeBron will get his rest early in the season. Also, I hope they sign Pau to a one-year deal, that would be a cool ending to his career to come back to LA and win another championship playing alongside his brother who he was traded for to get to LA in the first place.

2. Clippers

They are still pretty dang good. I think Tyronn Lue is a heck of a coach and should be able to get the best out of this group. They will have a second year of coming together which should be very beneficial. Their two best players seem to be healthier and should have more motivation than any other team outside of maybe Milwaukee to prove that they can win a championship. They lost JaMychal Green, Mo Harkless, and Harrell but were able to re-sign Marcus Morris, who they got at the end of last year, and Serge Ibaka who will help them immensely. He is the perfect fit to play with George and Leonard, someone who doesn’t need to be in the paint offensively but can protect the rim on the defensive side of the court. They replaced Landry Shamet with Luke Kennard which I don’t think will be much of a difference. I liked the Batum signing to see if he has anything left. I think the biggest thing they will miss is the efficiency of a Lou Williams-Harrell pick and roll. That was their go to play when George and Leonard were on the bench. Their roster now doesn’t really have a roll guy, Zubac would be the best candidate but doesn’t have near the athleticism or quickness that Harrell has. So overall I think their starting 5 is better than last year but their bench isn’t as good.

3. Nuggets

I think that the Murray and Jokic breakout was for real. They are replacing Jerami Grant with JaMychal Green which feels pretty much like a wash. I think that Millsap is nearing the end of being an effective player. I love Monte Morris and think he is one of the best backup PGs in the league. The hope is that Michael Porter Jr will breakout this year and consistently be the 3^rd star. Will Barton is solid and maybe we will see some more of Bol Bol this year. I think there is a big difference between the top 2 teams and teams 3-6.

4. Jazz

Bringing back pretty much the same team as last year but adding Derrick Favors as the backup center to Rudy Gobert. I do wonder if the reported strife between Gobert and Mitchell and the never-ending argument of if your star players get along and whose team it is will be distracting. I think that Clarkson plays more focused when he isn’t on a garbage team and he can be a spark plug off the bench if Mitchell is ever having an off night. I think that Conley will have a better year this year, but that might be hoping for too much. I like Bogdanovic, Ingles, O’Neale, Niang as you can interchange them between the 3 and the 4 and go with whatever matches up better or the hot hand.

5. Trail Blazers

This is a really deep team. They have Nurkic, Collins, and Kanter at the 5 or can move Collins to the 4 if they want to play big. Then they have Covington and Melo at the 4 with a possible unproven option of Nassir Little. Then at the 3 they have Derrick Jones Jr and Rodney Hood. Then in the backcourt they have Dame and McCollum backed up by Anfernee Simmons and Gary Trent Jr. I like the mix of size and shooting; I like the mix of young guys and veterans. Terry Stotts is a proven coach. The question is whether they will play enough defense to be a 5 seed instead of fighting for an 8 seed. I think Covington will help in that regard, but you are never going to be a good defensive team with that backcourt, you are always going to have to outscore people. They were 3^rd in offensive rating each of the past 2 years, but 2 years ago when they finished 3^rd in the west they were 16^th in defensive rating (with Al-Farouq Aminu at PF) and last year they were 28^th in defensive rating. But I think they will be motivated after having to back into the playoffs as an 8 seed and needing a play-in to do it. And then having Chuck pick them to sweep the Lakers in the first round and getting beat 4-1 should be more fuel to the fire.

6. Mavericks

As I stated in my review of my 2019 picks, I will never doubt Luka again. He is a top 8 player in the NBA right now. You can pick your order but mine with a healthy KD would go like this: Giannis, LeBron, KD, AD, Harden, Kawhi, Luka, Dame. I think it hurts not knowing when they will get Porzingis back, and when they do if they can keep him healthy. But I think Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Boban should be able to hold down the fort until then. I think the additions of Josh Richardson and James Johnson give them some more toughness. I think they will miss Seth Curry, which will require Tim Hardaway Jr and Dorian Finney-Smith to have to step up. They have Jalen Brunson and J.J. Barea (which seems like he has been there forever) to back up Luka but Luka will have to play big minutes and at an MVP level until Kristaps comes back if they want to get 1^st in offensive rating again this year. Also got to give a shout out to their proven head coach, Rick Carlisle.

7. Rockets

If James Harden is on their roster, they will have an offense that can carry them into the playoffs. I have no idea what they will get out of John Wall or Demarcus Cousins this year. I think that Christian Wood has potential but has only had one good year on a bad Detroit team. Eric Gordon will have to have a bounce back year and Ben McLemore will need to keep playing above expectations for them to get higher than this. If they do decide to tear it down they should get a lot for Harden (I think the 76ers make the most sense as a trade partner since you can get Ben Simmons back) but then they would have to find a way to also get rid of Wall. And I don’t think there are a lot of players that can match that salary in a trade (Paul and Westbrook were one of those few). They should also be able to get some draft capital for PJ Tucker if they go down that route.

8. Suns

I think this is between the Pelicans and the Suns. I am going with the Suns because I think they fit together better. I am not sure how Lonzo and Eric Bledsoe fit together nor am I sure how Zion and Steven Adams will fit together. But I think Chris Paul can be great again and won’t have to do as much scoring in late game situations with the Suns since he will have Devin Booker. I really liked the Jae Crowder signing and I think that will allow Saric to back up Ayton at the 5 more often than playing beside him. They should find some serviceable depth with Cameron Payne, E’Twaun Moore, Cameron Johnson, Jevon Carter, Abdel Nader, and Langston Galloway. If Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton improve upon last year and with the addition of Chris Paul, I think that will be enough for them to finally make the playoffs.

9. Pelicans, 10. Grizzlies, 11. Warriors, 12. Timberwolves, 13. Kings, 14. Spurs, 15. Thunder

East:

1. Bucks

This is any easy pick. They have been the #1 seed the past 2 years and they still have Giannis. I think that Jrue Holiday fits better than Bledsoe did and doesn’t have the post-season baggage that Bledsoe has. I am a little worried about their depth, I think their bench got worse from last year. They lost George Hill, Wesley Matthews, Ersan Illyasova, and Robin Lopez. I don’t think who they added: D.J Augustin, Bryn Forbes, Bobby Portis, Torrey Craig; are as good. I think the development of Donte DiVencenzo and potentially Pat Cannaughton is important for them to solidify their best lineup.

2. Nets

This all depends on the health of their two stars KD and Kyrie. I would usually have pause with Steve Nash’s first year at the helm, but he has Mike D’Antoni and Jacque Vaughn on his staff. They were able to bring back Joe Harris and brought in Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet for defensive purposes. I think they are a very deep team with a high ceiling that all depends on health. They could win it all.

3. Heat

They are bringing back pretty much the same crew that last we saw them they were in the NBA finals. I think replacing Jae Crowder with Avery Bradley and Mo Harkless is pretty much a wash. I think they expected more out of Iguodala and he is not getting any younger. Hopefully all the players that broke out last year can prove it wasn’t a fluke (looking at Herro and Robinson here). Coach Spo is one of the best in the league and the Heat will have no problem playing in front of no fans again.

4. Celtics

Spots 4 through 7 were extremely difficult to sort through. I think the Celtics are a thin team. While they didn’t get what they envisioned from Hayward they will still miss him this year. I think having Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson will be good, but Kemba will be working his way back from injury. The question will be if Brown can reach the same level as Tatum, then this team has a chance in the east. Short of that I don’t see this as a championship roster.

5. Raptors

Can the Raptors outperform my expectations again? Lowry is a year older, and they lose Ibaka and Gasol. I like VanVleet, Anunoby, and Norm Powell, and Siakam is great. I just don’t see the top end potential of this team. I trust Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri but that is the only reason I have them above the 76ers. I think Baynes, Boucher, and Len are serviceable in the front court but won’t be as good as Ibaka and Gasol have been.

6. 76ers

This is a lot of change for one offseason to expect them to hit the ground running. I think that Doc has pedigree but his standing as a top coach took a hit with the underwhelming playoff performance of the Clippers this past year. I think getting Danny Green and Seth Curry will definitely improve their shooting. Also, Tobias Harris had his best year for Doc Rivers in LA so I think he will have a surprisingly good year. It is still up in the air how the fit is between Embiid and Simmons, and what they are going to do in clutch situations.

7. Pacers

They are breaking in a new coach, but a coach that worked closely with Nick Nurse. I know having a branch of a coaching tree isn’t the same as the trunk. This has been proven over and over in the NFL and NBA. They are a deep team, whose ceiling depends on how close Oladipo and Sabonis can get to elite. They dealt with some injuries last year and TJ Warren was able to step up in the bubble. It will be interesting to see if that was a blip or a sign of things to come for him.

8. Hawks

This is a tier below teams 4-7 and I had a hard time picking between the Hawks and Wizards. I don’t like the fit of Bogdanovic, Gallinari, and Collins but they are undoubtedly more talented than they were a year ago. I like the Rondo signing, as he can help mentor Trae Young to reach the next level. They still have young talent that can improve in Hunter, Huerter, Reddish, Okongwu. So, their balance of proven players and young talent pushed the Hawks ahead of the Wizards for me. I liked the Westbrook-Wall trade for the Wizards. Westbrook’s availability won’t be in question as it was with Wall. There was public beef between Wall and Beal that will no longer matter, and you are reuniting Westbrook with his old OKC coach in Scott Brooks. He should have experience on balancing the offense between Beal and Westbrook as he did with Durant and Westbrook. I like Bertans and Hachimura but the Wizards just don’t have the depth that the Hawks have.

9. Wizards, 10. Magic, 11. Hornets, 12. Bulls, 13. Pistons, 14. Cavs, 15. Knicks

Bonus:

How the Thunder could finish their tear down:

Plus, a protected 1^st round pick to the Thunder.

For the Thunder this adds to their treasure trove of picks, they get younger, have slightly less money this year, and less years overall. For the Hornets they are obviously trying to win more now by adding Gordon Hayward to their roster. Now with adding these 2 veterans I think they get better even if Hollinger’s Analysis doesn’t agree with me. They add Horford to their starting lineup and move LaMelo Ball (the 3^rd overall pick this year) to replace Terry Rozier to play alongside their other young building block in Davonte Graham. Also George Hill is a role player who doesn’t need the ball in his hands and neither Rozier nor Bismack Biyombo are a part of their long-term plans.

Plus a 2nd round pick to the Thunder. On its surface this is really just a swap of bench players. But I think this makes sense for ATL since Snell is not a part of their plans and Ariza has been a champion and been around winning basketball a lot in his career. I think him teaming up with Rondo and Gallinari would give the Hawks good leadership as they push for the playoffs this year. Having Ariza will add to their glut of bigger wing players but Ariza is a different type of player than Bogdonavic and Gallinari. I think with Trae Young it may be hard to play small ball, but their offense could be great with Collins at the 5. For the Thunder you pay slightly less money and get a 2^nd round pick.

I know Presti is one of the best in the business so he will probably do better than this, but this is what I would do if available.

 How the Rockets could complete the transition from the D'Antoni/Morrey/Harden era:

I think the Knicks would have to get draft compensation here to give up RJ Barrett. So maybe the 76ers would send out two 1sts, one to each the Rockets and the Knicks. I like this trade because the Rockets don't have to tank to stay competitive. They build around Harris and Simmons for the next 4 years and get to see how good Barrett, Thybulle, and Maxey are. The Knicks just get to become more interesting, and Wall/Cousins still get to play together. The Knicks haven't been able to draw marquee free agents to NYC since Amare Stoudemire so maybe a healthy John Wall would be able to do that. It is not like they would have been able to use their cap space any better on the open market. Also this allows Obi Toppin to move to 4 and not have Julius Randle eat up his minutes. For the 76ers they become contenders in the east immediately. In the starting lineup you replace Simmons with Harden, Harris with Tucker, Thybulle with Gordon, and they still have newly acquired Danny Green which would round out their starting 5 to go along with Embiid. I think you would give up two 1sts and having to swap Maxey for Ntilikina to be able to do that. I don't think Simmons will ever reach MVP caliber which Harden has already so I wouldn't have any hesitations of making more of a win now move if I ran the Sixers.

Looking back at 2019 NBA predictions

 How I did with my 2019 NBA predictions:

West:

My projections:	Actual:
1. Clippers	Lakers
2. Lakers	Clippers
3. Jazz	Nuggets
4. Rockets	Rockets
5. Nuggets	Thunder
6. Warriors	Jazz
7. Trail Blazers	Mavericks
8. Spurs	Trail Blazers

Some notes on why I made my picks and if I was right or wrong:

Clippers

I had said they needed a backup center and that they should have signed Dwight Howard, instead he signed with the Lakers and played way better than Joakim Noah.

Lakers

I was pretty spot on and even too tempered with my expectations. I loved their signings of Rondo, Green, KCP, McGee, and DMC (but he got replaced with Howard essentially). And like everyone expected their best lineups were with AD at the 5. I also said I hoped they would sign Carmelo because I thought he would have more to give in a reduced role, that turned out true but just for the Blazers.

Jazz

I really liked the Conley and Bogdanovic additions, but Conley had trouble staying healthy and wasn't the same PG he was in Memphis. Utah ended up 6th but in my defense seeds 3 thru 6 were separated by 1.5 games.

Rockets

I did these projections before the Westbrook/Paul trade but that didn't really change much. I said the Rockets had dysfunction in their locker room but they had been around each other long enough that D'Antoni would find the best way to play around his backcourt. They traded Capela to cater to Westbrook and they ended up 4th just like I guessed. Then D'Antoni and Morrey left.

Nuggets

I said that they brought everyone back and that their best players (Nokic, Murray) are only getting better, which turned out to be absolutely true with Murray's playoff performance. (I also said that about Harris but he didn't show the same improvement as Nokic and Murray.)

Warriors

I gave too much credit to a championship culture. I did not think they would end up tanking for the #2 overall pick. I did say that we needed to hope that Steph stayed healthy and he did not. With his injury issues and Draymond's they were not a good team. They ended up swapping Russell for Wiggins but that didn't matter much by how depleted they were.

Trail Blazers

I said they were a good but not great team and that losing Nurkic would hurt but Whiteside would fill-in fine until he came back. I also made a note that I hoped Dame's super max extension would work out better than Westbrook's or Wall's and those two just got traded for each other.

Spurs

Honestly I put them here because Pop had made the playoffs for 20 some straight years. I just felt like I had to put him in until he didn't make it. I don't see them making it this upcoming year either.

Teams that made the playoffs I didn't predict:

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

I like most people did not have the Thunder making the playoffs. Paul had an amazing year, they were great in close games, and they maximized their talent. They lost to the Rockets in the first round. And have shrewdly torn down. Though I do want to mention that you can have all the picks in the world but they have to draft the right player or use them in trades otherwise they end up not meaning much.

7. Dallas Mavericks

I will never doubt Luka again.

East:

My projections:	Actual:
1. Bucks	Bucks
2. 76ers	Raptors
3. Pacers	Celtics
4. Celtics	Pacers
5. Nets	Heat
6. Raptors	76ers
7. Heat	Nets
8. Pistons	Magic

Notes:

Bucks

Said Giannis was the best player on the planet and he was that during the regular season. This was an easy pick.

76ers

I commented that the team was constructed weird and that the pieces didn't all fit together, and that it was dependent on Harris having a big year. He did not, and the fit was weird and they now got rid of Richardson and Horford, fired their coach, hired Doc Rivers and hired Morrey as President of Operations. I also thought Embiid could pick up Jimmy Butler's late game offense and that didn't really come into fruition either. Which is why they didn't end up as high as I had thought.

Pacers

I loved how deep this team was and I think that proved out to be true with Warren having a break out in the bubble. I thought they were going to get a healthy Oladipo back at some point and that never happened, so that is why I was little too high on them.

Celtics

I said with Kemba they would play with more heart and I think that was true. I said that Tatum and Brown would flourish in expanded roles and that was true. They ended up about where I had guessed.

Nets

I predicted them higher because I assumed Kyrie was going to play all year and that didn't end up happening. They were about where they were the year before signing Kyrie and KD and they essentially redshirted for a year.

Raptors

I thought they would take a bigger step back without Kawhi and Danny Green. Kawhi was obviously a loss for them in the playoffs but Danny Green not so much. VanVleet and Siakam played well in an expanded role and I think you need to start giving them extra wins off of projections because of Nick Nurse.

Heat

I undersold the Heat. I don't think anyone expected Nunn, Herro, and Robinson to have the years they had. Bam progressed faster than most people thought. I did say that I thought Jimmy Butler would do well in Miami and that they would embrace his style of play. Coach Spo did an amazing job for them, especially in their playoff run to the finals. I think the bubble didn't effect Miami as much as it did other teams.

Pistons

I thought it was a crap shoot between them and the Magic to make the 8 seed so I wasn't that far off. I thought having Rose, Griffin, and Drummond would mean that Detroit had more talent than the Magic so they would win out. But they traded Drummond and you can never count on Rose and Griffin to play every game anymore. The Magic got the last spot instead.

Trades I wanted to see:

Westbrook to the Heat for Dragic and Winslow and either 2 1sts or a 1st and Herro.

I think the Thunder are happy for how the Westbrook for Paul trade went, as they got 2 1sts anyway and still made the playoffs. Then flipped Paul for another 1st and Kelly Oubre who they flipped for a 1st. We will see who those picks turn into, hopefully someone as good or better than Herro. For Miami they made the NBA finals with Dragic and Herro so are probably glad this trade didn't go down either. So overall not a great trade proposal for either team here, not my best work.

Kevin Love to Blazers for Whiteside and Gary Trent Jr. and a pick

Love is still stuck on the Cavs though the Drummond pairing will be interesting if they can both stay healthy. Though I don't think it will matter much and the Cavs will stay in the East's basement. I think both teams going back would wish they would have made this trade. The Cavs then maybe would have just resigned Whiteside instead of trading for Drummond and him opting into his player option which would have been much cheaper. And Gary Trent Jr is a player that would fit their timeline.

Jrue Holiday to the Magic for Evan Fournier, Mo Bamba, and a pick

I did not think the Pels were going to get the haul they got from the Bucks for Jrue Holiday. They turned Holiday into Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe and two 1st round picks. I thought Mo Bamba and one 1st rd pick would be enough with Fournier as needed just for the salaries to match. Obviously the Magic would have loved for this trade to happen but the Pels did way better than this.

Three trades I still would like to see

There have already been plenty of blockbuster trades this offseason with Paul George going to the Clippers, Anthony Davis going to the Lakers, Durant doing a sign-and-trade for D'Angelo Russell, Jimmy Butler with a sign-and-trade to Miami, and plenty of smaller deals along the way.

I thought I would propose three more deals I would like to see, I have searched for them and I am not the first person to think of some of these but I have put them through the NBA trade machine on ESPN and they seem to be valid trades. Here we go.

Trade 1:

Let's give Jimmy Butler a running mate and complete the rebuild for OKC. I think the Thunder could ask for a 1st rd pick or two as well but they already hold a Miami 1st rd pick from the PG trade to the LAC. Maybe Miami has to include Tyler Herro if the Thunder fancy him to only then have to trade one future 1st rd pick.

Trade 2:

This will get Kevin Love back to where he grew up as well as giving the Blazers a 3rd viable option on offense. Whiteside is just a placeholder for Nurkic while he is hurt but Zach Collins can fill in that role. And the Cavs get out of a contract for a player that doesn't fit their timeline for contention anyways. I would think a draft pick could go to the Cavs in this trade as well.

Trade 3:

Let's fix the Magic's awful PG situation and finish the Pelicans offseason rebuild by adding another young piece in Mo Bamba. They would have to take on Fournier to make the money work but they would still save a little compared to paying Holiday what he is owed. This also opens the PG spot for Lonzo.

Aftermath:
If these trades were to happen this is how I would adjust my current power rankings:
- Heat would move past the Raptors and Nets for the 5th seed in the east, right behind the Celtics.
- Blazers would move up one spot past the Klay-less Warriors for the 6th seed in the West, right behind the Nuggets.
- Magic would pass the Pistons for the 8th seed in the east, right behind the Kawhi-less Raptors.

Ranking NBA teams after crazy offseason

Holy moly, so Kawhi Leonard is a Clipper. He cherry picked a player to play with and the Clippers traded every first round pick available by rule to the Thunder to acquire that player. That player is obviously Paul George, or as the PTI guys would say "Ya boy, Playoff P." George just last year signed a 4 year $137 million max deal to stay in OKC. He announced he was staying at a "summer hype" house party hosted by his MVP teammate Russell Westbrook. After another early playoff exit I don't blame Sam Presti, the GM of the Thunder, for moving on. Now he just needs to take the next step in the rebuild and trade Westbrook. I am not sure how that will go over with the fans since OKC has always been in playoff contention it seems like since they moved from Seattle with Kevin Durant on the roster. Some could argue that with the Warriors' dynasty over, maybe the Westbrook-George duo would have a better shot. But looking at their roster and the rosters of the other Western Conference contenders they wouldn't have fared much better this year either in my opinion. Speaking of those rosters, as it sits today let's rank the teams for next year by conference.

Western Conference:

1. Clippers
I know this may seem premature, but they had a playoff roster last year and added PG13, who had one of his best years of his career while finishing 3rd in the MVP voting, as well as Kawhi who won the Finals MVP. They still have Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell who finished first and third in the Sixth man award voting respectively. They are already going to be a bear of a defensive team with Beverly, George, and Kawhi; on top of having Doc Rivers as coach. I like Zubac when he played for the Lakers but I always saw him as a backup big man, so I believe they still need a starting center and Dwight Howard is out there, just saying. I am giving them the slight advantage over the Lakers because of their bench and their head coach.

2. Lakers
Full disclosure I am a Lakers fan so maybe this is a biased ranking, but man is Staples center going to be rocking next year. I can see the tweets from Darren Rovell already that courtside tickets for a Lakers-Clippers game are going for $7 Kachillion. There is no disappointment from the Lakers this offseason, even after they didn't sign Kawhi because they got AD. You could argue that LeBron and AD are the best duo in the NBA because they are more complementary than PG and Kawhi, who have very similar skill sets. But I think the Lakers pivoted quite nicely after missing out on Kawhi, they signed Danny Green, Quinn Cook, KCP, DeMarcus Cousins, Rondo, and JaVale McGee. There is some shooting, some defense, and some familiarity since KCP, Rondo, and JaVale were on the roster last year. I would like to see the Lakers sign Carmelo, he would be hungry for a championship and would not need a very large role on the team. I would also like to see them sign Kyle Korver after he gets bought out from the Suns. They are doing everything possible to appease AD so he stays long term. From LeBron reportedly giving him the number 23, as well as signing his frontcourt buddy in DMC. AD has said he prefers to play the 4, so the signings of McGee and DMC will allow that but their best lineup will probably be with AD at the 5 and Kuzma at the 4.

3. Jazz
Their biggest holes were at SF, since Gordon Hayward left, and PG, ever since Deron Williams was traded like 8 years ago. They signed Bojan Bogdanovic and acquired Mike Conley to go along with existing stars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. I think this team has the combination of defense and shooting as well has high impact acquisitions with continuity. It will be interesting to see how they fair with expectations.

4. Rockets
This feels low with them losing to the Warriors in the playoffs for 3 out of the last 4 years, but I am starting to buy into some of the reported dysfunction. There was a very public failed attempt to acquire Jimmy Butler, and this whole deal with Mike D'Antoni's contract extension or lack thereof. The coach has a history of not staying in one place for all that long and Chris Paul seems to have a history of teammates getting sick of playing with him as well. Chris Paul is getting older so this star duo is moving down the rankings. I understand how statistically great James Harden is but he is my least favorite superstar to watch in the NBA. It is him dribbling in isolation and either jacking up a three or going to the foul line. Until the rules penalize him for flopping I am afraid that this trend will continue. The Rockets are farther along with understanding what players work well around their stars, which teams like the Lakers and Clippers will figure out as the year goes on. I like Gordon, Tucker, and Capela but I am afraid the Rockets will get in their own way again.

5. Nuggets
Yes, this was the 2 seed last year that brought everybody back; but that is that nature of this crazy free agency and trade period. The NBA's offseason is way more exciting than the other professional sports. I was refreshing Twitter constantly because Bleacher Reports notifications just weren't fast enough. But to the Nuggets, I think they are a deep team and their best players (Jokic, Harris, and Murray) getting even better. I think that bringing back Millsap made sense since they weren't going to find a better replacement PF in free agency, and now they have a large expiring contract.

6. Warriors
Oh how the mighty have fallen. I don't feel sorry for them however, though I do for any team that underestimates them. If Klay doesn't also get hurt we might be talking about how the Warriors minus KD are still the best team in the NBA. I put them here though because I expect Klay to sit out most of the year and will need some time to get back to his old self when he does return. Steph is still a joy to watch and will have a huge statistical season next year. Let's hope he stays healthy! I liked the acquisition of D'Angelo Russell so that they at least got an asset for KD instead of nothing. He will slide in nice for Klay, since he is a bigger PG, and will be able to share the load with Steph. I think they trade him next offseason since the fit with Klay and Steph just doesn't really work. Losing Iguodala will hurt for this next year but they weren't going to be in contention anyway.

7. Trail Blazers
This good but not great Portland team will be back for another run. Dame and CJ McCollum will probably have good years again, and Kent Bazemore alongside Rodney Hood will keep them competitive on the wing. The injury to Nurkic hurts, but Hassan Whiteside and Zach Collins will be able to fill in until he gets back. Whiteside is on the last year of his deal so is not a long-term addition. They decided to give Lillard the super max extension so hopefully it works out better for the Blazers than the Wall contract has for the Wizards or how the Westbrook contract is looking for the Thunder.

8. Spurs
Greg Popovich has to make the playoffs every year right? Isn't it in his contract or the NBA's collective bargaining agreement or something? But they will have their veteran core back (Aldrige, Derozan, Gay, Mills, Belinelli) as well as the addition of DeMarre Carroll. They will expect growth and hopefully healthy seasons from their younger players (Dejounte Murray, Jakob Poeltl, Lonnie Walker). I wonder how this dynasty will end, since they all do. It will be interesting to see if this organization will have another run in them with Popovich at the helm.

Eastern Conference:

1. Bucks
I know that Kawhi just won the championship and Finals MVP, but Giannis might be the best player in the NBA right now. If not then he is the number one contender, with KD hurt and LeBron on the back nine of his career. If Giannis can develop a semi-reliable jumpshot, like LeBron did as his career progressed, then he will be truly unstoppable. It is already hard to defend him because if you sag off of him you just give him momentum towards the basket and one huge eurostep away from a dunk in your face. So then you decide to just clog the paint with bodies, and then Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, and George Hill have uncontested three's. I like that they mostly brought back the same crew, since they were the best regular season team in the NBA last year. It sucks that small market Milwaukee was unable to keep Brogdon, but that is just the way it is.

2. 76ers
I am not sure how the combination of Al Horford with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris is going to work in today's NBA. They are a huge lineup, but I am a little worried about their spacing. Simmons looks inept at jump shooting, and Embiid is a force down low and understandably gets frustrated if he is asked to just stand at the top of the key and shoot three's. Horford made about one three a game last year on 36% shooting, so he is serviceable but not exactly a replacement for JJ Redick. I am assuming they will run the offense through Embiid late in games since they won't have Jimmy Butler anymore, which will be the next step in Embiid's stardom. A full year with Harris will help, hopefully he is worth the 5 year $180 million contract. Side note, Harris bet on himself by not taking an $80 million extension from the Clippers last offseason and his bet paid off to the tune of a cool extra $100 million. Good for him.

3. Pacers
This is a really deep team, that I think with a healthy Oladipo no one is going to have fun playing against. I liked the acquisitions of TJ Warren, Jeremy Lamb, and Malcolm Brogdon. I think they will be long and they will be able to have a diverse offense. The fit with Sabonis next to Turner is still in question but if it works they will be a really dangerous team, otherwise they will have to stagger minutes between the two of them or match up based on size but I think they are still deep enough to be able to do that effectively. Like the Jazz in the Western Conference it will be interesting to see how they handle expectations.

4. Celtics
This is not where the Celtics thought they were going to be going into last offseason. They had Hayward and Irving coming back to a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. However their team leadership imploded, Kyrie and Horford bolted, and their young guys didn't develop the way they thought. However, with Kemba replacing Kyrie I think they will be able to play more like they did when they had Isiah Thomas at PG. I think they will play with more heart, and Stevens is still a good coach. Hopefully another year will have Hayward back closer to where he was before his horrific leg injury and Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will flourish with expanded roles. Replacing Horford with Kanter won't do them any favors defensively though.

5. Nets
This ranking comes with a big asterisk because KD probably won't play at all next year due to his Achilles injury. With KD this team becomes an immediate championship contender. They were however the 6th seed last year and they were able to replace Russell with Kyrie. They have some depth at the guards with LeVert, Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Garrett Temple. They have DeAndre Jordan and the younger version of himself with Jarrett Allen so they should always have rim protection and someone to throw a lob to in the pick and roll on the floor.

6. Raptors
Well they still won the championship. Trading for Kawhi was the best one year rental in NBA history and no one will be able to take that away from them. They didn't have a lot of flexibility to be able to replace Danny Green and Kawhi in their starting lineup, so they are not near as good of a team without their best player and a key role player. OG Anunoby will have to get healthy and produce and Powell and VanVleet will have bigger roles after producing off the bench in the playoffs. Pascal Siakam will need to take the next step into an expanded role and keep his efficiency. They still have Ibaka and Gasol so they will be solid at the center position. Kyle Lowry will need to pick up more of the scoring slack now as well.

7. Heat
At this point the 7/8/9 positions between the Heat, Pistons, and Magic is kind of a crap shoot. It also won't really matter in the bigger picture as whoever makes it will probably lose quite lopsidedly in the first round anyways. I am taking the Heat here because I think they will embrace Jimmy Butler and he will excel at being the alpha dog. They have depth in the frontcourt and will need Dragic and Waiters to have good years so that Butler doesn't have to do all of the scoring. Also I think that Spoelstra is a solid coach so I will give Miami the edge.

8. Pistons
They still have Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. I think that even though they may not fit together that well, it still more talent than the Magic have with Vucevic and Gordon. Vucevic had a really good year last year but is Mo Bamba the future in Orlando? Also with the signing of Aminu they clogged Gordon's best spot which is the 4. I think that Dwayne Casey is a good coach and maybe Derrick Rose has another good year. Or one of Ish Smith, Reggie Jackson, or Rose stabilizes the PG position for Detroit. Which is better than the PG situation in Orlando, which is insane hope for Markelle Fultz that he remembers how to play basketball or running out D.J. Augustin when he should have been a backup for the past few years already. The Pistons don't have any great SG/SF options with Tony Snell, Langston Galloway, Luke Kennard, Khryi Thomas, or Svi, but we are talking about the 8th seed in the east so the bar is not set that high.

Vikings playoff loss, Lakers offseason, 3 things

Vikings Wild Card Game

Well, this is typical for us Vikings fans. I already saw on twitter comparing Blair Walsh's kick to Gary Anderson's missed FG against the Falcons in 1998 which would have just about sealed that game. The game plan could not have been executed any better, they took advantage of the conditions and played conservative. There were people saying the Vikings would have been better off losing to the Packers in week 17 so they could play them again in the wild card round, I thought that notion was ludicrous. Even though the Seahawks were one of the hottest teams in the NFL, you always want to play at home especially in January in Minnesota.

And like most playoff games there were a handful of key plays that decided the game. If Wilson just dives on the football on that mishandled snap or Munnerlyn keeps him in the pocket after he recovered the ball, he doesn't complete a pass to Lockett on the broken play. The Seahawks actually were better off with the miscommunication on the snap because the Vikings secondary were distracted and let Lockett end up wide open. Then we have the AP fumble, which the Seahawks scored a FG on the ensuing drive to take the lead. I think due to AP's career long issues with fumbles will prevent him from ever winning the "GOAT" argument. I just looked at some career stats to put this in perspective:

Name	Seasons	Fumbles	Fumbles per year
Adrian Peterson	9	38	4.22
Barry Sanders	10	27	2.7
LaDainian Tomlinson	11	31	2.82
Emmitt Smith	15	54	3.6

Then we also had the dropped interception by Sandejo which could have changed that last drive, but of course it comes down to the missed FG. Yes, Mike Zimmer was right; it was a chip shot and Blair has to make it. And I don't think much blame can go towards the holder Jeff Locke. Blair had already made a fourty-some yard FG with the laces in, and Locke said himself he didn't feel comfortable spinning the ball. I am sure he was not able to feel his fingertips, and am not sure what grip he had with the extra thick gloves he was wearing due to the weather. I give credit to Blair not only for knocking 3 FG's through the middle, but for taking the blame for the loss. This instantly reminded me of Scott Norwood, the Buffalo Bills kicker that missed the FG in the super bowl. If you haven't seen the 30 for 30 on those Bills that lost 4 straight super bowls, I would advise doing so. But in that film, Scott Norwood takes the blame and his teammates and city support him 100%. Now onto next year, I think the Vikings have the talent to be back as long as Teddy improves, and hopefully Blair Walsh kicks a game winning FG in the playoffs next year and totally redeems himself!

Lakers 2016 offseason

Yes it is never too early to start thinking about next year when you are 8-31. But I have a plan for the Lakers (hopefully this somehow gets to them).

    1. Fire Byron Scott and hire Kevin Ollie

Now why hire an inexperienced NBA coach?

    2. Give Kevin Durant whatever he wants

Kevin Durant has publicly endorsed Kevin Ollie and said his veteran leadership is what started OKC down a path to contending for championships. If KD wants a one year deal so he can enter free agency again, a la Lebron, then give that to him. But you will need a contending team to be able to lure him.

    3. Sign Al Horford (and one other legitimate NBA starter)

This as well as re-signing Roy Hibbert or acquiring Festus Ezeli changes the front court of the Lakers. This will give them flexibility to either play small with Horford at the 5 or big with him at the 4. You would still have Nance Jr. and Randle to play with him in the small ball lineup. Then if there is money left over you try to lure DeMar DeRozan or Arron Afflalo on a hometown discount as both are originally from the LA area.

    4. Trade Brandon Bass, and Nick Young for future assets

No matter how much you get for the return, these guys are not going to help us this year. Bass is just taking minutes away from Nance Jr. and Randle. And no team needs Lou Williams as well as Nick Young. If you can just get 2nd round picks for these guys you take that deal.

    5. Hope you keep your draft pick

The Lakers 2016 draft pick is Top-3 protected, if it is outside the top 3 it goes to the 76ers. This is still fallout from that now awful Steve Nash trade. Getting Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram would be, in the words of Donald Trump, huge.

3 Things Things I know.....

1. Adam Gase will be a good hire for Ryan Tannehill. This guy won a playoff game with Tim Tebow as his QB when he was the OC at Denver. He orchestrated Jay Cutler to a career year in Chicago. He also learned a lot from Peyton Manning with the years they shared in Denver.

2. Kobe Bryant should start the All-Star game. This is an exhibition game for the fans. Everyone wants to see Kobe d-up Lebron and dare him to shoot again like he did in the 2012 All-Star game.

3. Tommy Armstrong has to improve for Nebraska to be any good next year. That one is pretty self explanatory.

3 Things I don't know....

1. How Jonathon Papelbon is still a Washington National? He choked the NL MVP, teammate Bryce Harper, in the dugout last year. Then on top of that he filed a grievance against the team about the ensuing four game suspension they gave him.

2. How Ken Griffey Jr. wasn't unanimously elected into the baseball HOF? There is no sane person that would say Griffey was not a HOFer, the only explanation I could come up with is that some old geezer thinks the Hall is this mythical place. And that if Ruth didn't get in unanimously then no one can. It is stupid and part of the reason some people hate the MLB.

3. Why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Lovie Smith? They improved over the two years he was there. They improved their win total by four over the previous year. This is the same coach that brought Rex Grossman to the super bowl. He could have coached up that defense, that along with the play of Winston could have seen them as a playoff team within the next couple of years. I don't Carolina is as good as their 15-1 record states and everyone else in the NFC South is in flux.