Can The NBA Draft Actually Help The Non-Lottery Team?

It's time for the NBA draft! But is it really worth reading the player profiles and sorting through the soughs of trades between this team and that team?

I've never seen an American sporting event produce such a hot and cold response as the NBA Draft (well, other than NASCAR). Supporters consider it just as much of an experience as the NFL Draft in terms of building a team. Foes say the draft is just a crapshoot where teams with the top few lottery picks might get the next LeBron James/Carmelo Anthony, but any team outside of the top few picks will only be able to find a backup at best.

Can you get a great player without a top ten pick? Well, let's look at this year's All-Star roster:

EAST ALL-STARS

Allen Iverson- Top pick of the draft in 1996
Dwyane Wade- 5th pick 2003
LeBron James- 1st pick all everything ever
Kevin Garnett- 5th pick of 1995 out of high school
Dwight Howard- Top pick 2004 draft
Joe Johnson- 10th pick, 2001 draft
Jameer Nelson-20th pick 2004 draft
Ray Allen- 5th pick 1996 draft
Danny Granger- 17th pick 2005 draft
Paul Pierce- 10th pick 1998 draft
Chris Bosh-4th pick 2003 draft
Mo Williams- 47th pick 2003
Devin Harris- 5th pick 2004 draft
Rashard Lewis- 32nd pick 1998


WEST ALL-STARS

Kobe Bryant- 13th pick 1996 draft
Chris Paul- 4th pick 2005 draft
Tim Duncan- Top pick 1997 draft
Amare Stoudmire- 9th pick 2002 draft out of high school
Yao Ming- Top pick 2002 draft
Dirk Nowitzki- 9th pick 1998 draft
Shaq- Top pick, 432 B.C.
Brandon Roy- 6th pick 2006 draft
Chauncey Billups- 3rd pick 1997 draft
Pau Gasol- 3rd pick 2001 draft
David West- 18th pick 2003 draft
Tony Parker- 28th pick 2001 draft

The truth, as usual, is somewhere in between. The draft is certainly top heavy where any kind of game changing star is taken. But teams like the Spurs and Lakers surround the superstar players with good late round picks. So while the draft may not give us a truckload of late round gems, if your team happens to be the one that hits on one, a title run could be in the future.

I Know It's Just Soccer Here, But DAMN

Forget for a moment that soccer ranks just above archery on the list of popular professional sports in America. Just look at what just happened with the United States men's soccer team for what it is.

A freakin sports miracle.

I know, I know. It wasn't a championship game. This isn't the World Cup and no trophies are being given out.

But let's just take a second and give the U.S. soccer team it's due after today. This is a team that didn't have any business being in the second round of this world tournament. They slipped in because a goal differential stat. No one really cared anyways since they had just watched the U.S. get toyed with by Italy and then pasted by Brazil. They beat Egypt (wwweeeeeee!!!!!)

But Italy got beat by Egypt and Brazil, so the United States found themselves in the next round. Now they had to play the Spaniards, a team whose daedal soccer stylings had lead to a record tying 35 game unbeaten streak.

The Spaniards had breezed through the first round undefeated scoring eight goals and giving up a big donut on the scoreboard. Meanwhile the U.S. was 1-7-1 against top ranked teams in soccer. Not confidence inspiring is it?

THAT is why this win is so huge. Spain was the top ranked team in the world and a sure-fire pick to destroy the U.S. men's team. Spain out shot the U.S. 29-9. When the U.S. scored, it was the first goal Spain had given up in 451 minutes dating back to April 1. Blah, blah, blah.

Spain lost. The U.S. won. David felled Goliath this day. The United States became the Cinderella team of the tournament for a day.

Even if they get beat by Brazil 15-0 (possible), the U.S. put their stamp on the tournament. I don't care if you aren't a soccer fan, just enjoy the moment.

Aluminum Ain't That Bad Anymore

I was watching Texas play LSU in the college World Series last night and as per usual, the discussion of the evening was the aluminum bats versus wooden bats debate. What I learned during this debate, besides the fact that my new puppy's puling can stop down any conversation, was that baseball fans love them some wooden bats.

Everyone I talked to support the wooden bat over the aluminum one. I understand that the wooden bat is more natural and it takes some of the crazy science out of bat performance and determines success more by a batter's skill level. I think it would be wonderful to have wooden bats again in college baseball.

It's not going to happen.

Wooden bats have the unfortunate habit of breaking and not all schools can afford a gigantic bat budget. Aluminum bats just make more financial sense.

The problem was that at one point, science was changing the way baseball games were played. Super bats were helping teams drive baseballs out of the park at alarming rates. After a ridiculous 1998 final where fans saw Southern Cal beat Arizona State 21-14, restrictions were placed on aluminum bats.

Since then, I don't see a huge problem with the aluminum bats. Last night's game featured lead changes and extra innings until LSU finally pulled out an 8-7 win. There's nothing wrong with that.

Sure, the use of aluminum bats make the pitchers duel less likely, but I'll take a tense, entertaining game any day of the week. Just enjoy the sport. And Erin Andrews.

A Day Sports Just Sort Of Stopped

The site is called SportsPants, I know. But I say it's sports talk, sort of because there are so many other things to talk about than only sports. Seriously, if sports is all you can think about, you need to re-evaluate your life. I'm happy I feel this way because my sports life had to take a backseat this weekend.

I'm sure you've seen this happen before: Some friend gets a dog and it's cute as hell and licks your face and makes funny sounds etc, etc, etc. And your friend decides you need to know every last detail of the dog's cute little puppy tricks. You listen because you know he/she loves their new little friend, but inside you're wondering how delusional this person must be to actually think you need to see 147 pictures of the new puppy. It's a dog, I get it.

Folks, I am now that friend.

I can do nothing but think about my three month old puppy, Noodle, who we got this past Saturday. And it's probably good that I can do nothing else, but because the little thing doesn't allow me much time for anything.

Some highlights when you first get a puppy (fellow owners can add anything I forget):

-The amount of pee and poop in this animal is astounding. Noodle just lets fly when she wakes up, after she eats, when she's playing, after one of her 26 midday naps, if she sees you going to the bathroom, and generally every half hour in between.

-Whatever toy you have for her, she doesn't want. You can go out and buy her a dozen little toys that crinkle, spin, hold treats and taste like steak. The puppy will still want to chew on the lamp cord.

-She's learning my tricks at an alarming rate. My girlfriend and I have our little methods to get Noodle to do our bidding. Hiding medicine in peanut butter, getting really mock excited about a toy we want her to play with, grabbing her attention away from the chair leg she's gnawing on etc. This dog has only been with us two days and she's already adjusted on the fly. The stuff that worked on Saturday night doesn't even phase her now. I'm going to have to think about this stuff a lot more than I thought.

-The dog wants to go exactly where you don't want her to. Whether it's the street, behind the refrigerator, out by a copse behind your place, the puppy will eventually beeline for the off-limits place.

-Puppies have some crazy ass dreams. At least mine does. She twitches, moves in fits, and her eyes REM at a rate I can't even fathom.

-The puppy will be the only creature in your household dreaming when you first get it. I'm averaging about five hours of sleep since I got her. We keep her in a crate in another room, but she can make that much noise. I'm told this will taper off in a few weeks. I can only pray.

-You significant other will refer to you as "daddy". I don't mind it since there's not much else that jumps in my head. It just sounds weird.

That being said, a puppy changes your life. Not like an actual kid, at least I hope not, but you will find yourself thinking of the puppy when you shouldn't and you will catch yourself telling people you hardly know all about how you were out at this rescue center looking at a bunch of random dogs for a possible future adoption when this little ball of wonder comes running right up to you and jumps into your lap and licks your face. It was at this point you knew the ball game was over. You were going to take her home.

I didn't plan it this way, it just sort of happens. Sports are great, but puppies rule.

You're Outta Here! (Also Known As He Gone)

If you've been to any number of sporting events in the past few years, you've probably experienced the yuk monkey fan.

This is the guy who decides to make the moment about himself by screaming something during a pause in the pre-game National Anthem or during a coin flip or at any other point where he can be the center of attention.

Sometimes it's funny, usually it's just clear that this monkey's mama didn't show him enough attention as a boy. Often the guy can't stop at just one outburst and must hog the spotlight to the point of nimiety.

A soccer fan in the Netherlands decided he was going to push the envelope with his need for attention and decided to deliver his shtick during a moment of silence to observe a recent attack on the Dutch royal family that ended up killing six innocent bystanders.

Mistake.

We won't be seeing this man at a soccer game for the next year. Was it too harsh of a penalty for a fan that probably had a few too many and was just getting excited? I don't think so.

I've been caught up in the excitement that happens when a stadium full of people get together for an event, but there has to be a line drawn at some point. Using a moment of silence for the dead as your comedy audition tape is a pretty bad choice and this guy now has a year to think about that.

Just remember, if you're going to go through with a "look at me" moment, please, please, PLEASE....make sure it's at least funny.

A Study In The Rules Of Fandom

I have a friend who roots for the Detroit Red Wings. He's from the Michigan area, so that makes total sense. What irks me is that the Red Wings are the only Detroit team he roots for.

When it comes to football, he's suddenly a Steelers fan. In baseball, it's all about the pinstripes in the Bronx. He's not a basketball fan, but I can only guess he's a closet Lakers supporter.

He is unapologetic about his front-running. His philosophy is that he watches sports for entertainment and escapism, so why would he subject himself to the losing nature of the Detroit Lions when the Pittsburgh Steelers win? While it's impossible to have prescience about how a baseball season is going to end, the odds favor the free spending Yankees year in and year out. There's just a greater chance for him to be happy with the teams he's chosen.

His logic makes sense in a mercenary kind of way. In the free-agency era of sports, players jump ship all the time and it's acceptable in most circumstances. Would people be all over Marian Hossa if he left a bad hockey team like the New York Islanders for the Red Wings? Most fans seem okay when a player bolts from a bad team because he wants a chance to win a ring. My friend is simply doing the same as a fan.

I could never follow suit and he knows I will never respect his fan status. To me, you have a reason to support whatever team you support (generally location), and you stick with them. I grew up in Dallas and while everyone groans that I'm a Cowboys fan, I quickly point out that I've always supported the other less dominant teams in the area. If the Rangers ever actually make it to a World Series, I'm not going to know what to do with myself because I've sat through so much horrible baseball. I'm anything but spoiled.

However, I've been in arguments about fan philosophy with other even more hardcore fans. I've always felt that being a fan means you support your community. If you grow up in Chicago, but move to Phoenix, you should eventually become a Cardinals fan. Not right away, I know you can't just trade in your team affiliations at the drop of a hat, but if you've been in Phoenix for a decade and you've bought a house and had some little ones...you know reside in Phoenix. You are a Cardinals fan.

This philosophy rubs some people the wrong way. They feel that once you declare your allegiance, that's that. My uncle lives in Houston, has for a while. He has a house, kids, a little schedule he's engulfed in, he's even survived a hurricane. He ain't moving anytime soon. Yet there in front of his house flies a hometown Pittsburgh Penguins flag. He could care less about the Texans, he is trying to teach his kids how to be proper Steelers fans.

I told him that he lived in Houston now, why not be a Houston team fan? He looked at me like I had just asked him why he didn't just go live in Cuba. He has some sort of crack about me being a typical bad Dallas fan. My retort was to move the hell back to Pittsburgh if he's so entrenched.

The debate gets more confusing when you introduce the fans who live in the newer cities. If you grew up in Charlotte and had no teams to root for, you probably became a Cowboys or Dolphins, maybe a Falcons fan. Now Charlotte has it's own team. Do you just drop everything and support the Carolina Panthers? Do you stick with your Cowboys support only to get stamped with the front-runner label?

Everyone has their reasons to root for a team. Whether you have a blind loyalty to the team laundry no matter who's wearing it, or if you follow the most exciting team, or follow the team that drafted your favorite college player, you have your reasons. Just be prepared to argue them when another fan calls you out.

Or just hit them in the head with a beer bottle. That seems to put the fan debate on the back burner pretty quickly.*



*You may or may not end up in the emergency room with your girlfriend calling you an idiot.

Addition By Subtraction Or The Sinking Of A Franchise?

The Denver Broncos have had some trouble in the past. A defensive back was shot to death on New Year's Eve, Travis Henry attempted to impregnate every woman in America, the team became obsessed with Cleveland Browns rejects, and there has been a different running back leading the team in rushing every year.

But there has never been an off-season so gravid with controversy and change than this one. The inexplicable off-season continues for the Denver Broncos as star wide receiver Brandon Marshall wants to follow Jay Cutler out of town. Remember back when the firing of Mike Shanahan was thought to be the biggest controversy for the Broncos this year?

This nonsense has to bother Broncos owner Pat Bowlen who has consistently been one of the NFL's most solid owners. He doesn't treat his team like it's simply a part of his investment portfolio (see the current San Francisco 49ers) nor does he attempt to use his team to stroke his ego (look no further than Oakland or Dallas). Yet Bowlen is the one who fired Shanahan and hired new head coach Josh McDaniels, so I guess ye reap what ye sow.

Now about head coach McDaniels. This off-season is proving one of two things: he is a man wise beyond his years, or he is too inexperienced to hold down an NFL head coaching position and the Broncos are suffering for it. I'll expand on both:

Theory I- Josh McDaniels is wise and he's thinking into the future:
No one is arguing the talents of Cutler and Marshall, they have been a top QB/WR tandem in all of football the past couple of years.

But the goal is a Lombardi Trophy, not a passing title. And teams generally don't win Super Bowls with a quarterback who cries any time someone dares consider someone else might be better than him. McDaniels may have met Cutler and realized there was no way he had the mindset to lead a team through the grinder of the NFL playoffs (after all, McDaniels had spent time with Tom Brady in New England.)

So McDaniels makes a play for Matt Cassell and loses out to K.C. Cutler throws a hissy fit and McDaniels refuses to give in to the quarterback's whining because he knows that's not going to help the team win. Everything escalates and before you know it, Cutler is out of town. McDaniels didn't expect Cutler to be gone, but he wasn't going to let Cutler act like a diva.

Meanwhile, the Broncos got a quarterback who is less talented in Kyle Orton, but one who has spent his NFL life battling for his position thereby making him mentally tough. Plus, the Broncos got several extra draft picks to help build the team around Orton.

Brandon Marshall should probably concentrate more on staying off the police short list before he starts demanding trades. The receiver is super talented, yet he possesses that crazy gene that several wideouts have.

If Marshall goes, the Broncos will get even more draft picks which the team can use to shore up various other positions. Within three years the Broncos will change from a team that has to win track meet type games because it has a high octane passing offense, but nothing else to a well-balanced machine that has a ball control offense and a precision passing game accompanied by a young talented defense. Just like McDaniels wanted.

or

Theory II- McDaniels is in over his head and his shenanigans will cost the Broncos:
McDaniels reminds me a bit too much of Lane Kiffin. Both are young, aggressive coaches who are smart about the X's and O's in football, but have zero ability to manage people.

In his zeal to prove he belongs as a head coach in the NFL, McDaniels may be rubbing multiple Broncos the wrong way. Here is this little pup who is actually younger than several of the players and he's tossing teammates around like he's playing John Madden Football on his Playstation.

NFL coaches have a room full of egos to manage and the smart ones understand the effects brash moves will have on a team and not just on the roster. McDaniels may have seen Bill Bellichick drop players he didn't like without blinking, but Bellichick spent a decade as one of the best defensive coordinators in football. He had some clout. McDaniels does not and he needs to understand that he has to prove himself to his team as well as vice versa.

I give McDaniels credit for making some big moves during his early stay in Denver. I just hope he has properly thought these moves through before he destroys his NFL career before it begins.