A rant about the NFL and the draft

Joe Theissman once said:

Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.

I love that quote for multiple reasons but mostly because I have no idea who Norman Einstein is, was he the guy who invented pop tarts? Oh well the NFL draft is tomorrow and the only way you wouldn't know that, is if you don't watch ESPN. Where they remind you every 15 seconds that they are airing the draft with around the clock coverage with experts Mel Kiper and Tood McShay and 30 other talking heads. So I figured I would get on here and make a list of things I would like to know and/or point out before the draft;

• Mel Kiper is not an expert; Sure he may be called an expert and he has been doing this for years, but what schooling does he have to prove his expertise? He started doing this as a community college student in Baltimore, sending teams his draft advice. He's never played the game, he's never been a coach, he's never been a scout, he's never been an administrator, and he's an expert. Can someone please explain to me the difference between a you-tube commenter watching football highlight reels and Mel Kiper? Other than the fact that one is grossly overpaid.
  

• Did you know that only 3 AFC (Indy, New England, and Pittsburgh) teams have been to the Super Bowl since Oakland in 2002? You did, well could you please remind all of the analysts on ESPN? Sometime in 2004, they decided the Raiders were the worst run organization in professional sports and any chance they get they let us know. Sure Al isn't as sharp as he used to be and the team hasn't been above .500 in years; but he also has three Super Bowl trophy's. San Diego and fourteen other teams have zero. The Packers, Redskins, Ravens, Cowboys, and a whole host of teams haven't been to the Super Bowl more recently than the Raiders. I guess it depends on what level of success you deem a good year but isn't going to the Super Bowl, the whole reason they play? They don't play to lose in the first or second round of the playoffs. They play to go the Super Bowl. And Oakland has been more successful in that department than a lot of "great" teams in the league. So when your watching the draft tomorrow and they are lambasting the Raiders for whatever reason, remember there are a lot more teams that haven't won jack in just as long of a time.

• What is Daniel Snyder doing? Campbell is a decent quarterback. Why not let Campbell have more than one season under the same offense and then make a judgement? If Sanchez was that good, wouldn't the Lions be drafting him?

• I know I just defended Oakland a second ago, but I want to ask Al something. Would you please stay away from a wide receiver in the first round? Jamarcus needs a line. Can you make sure to get him some protection? Hint: Draft Michael Oher. Michael Lewis wrote a book about the guy, so he must be pretty awesome.

• Super Bowl in London. Are you kidding me? How is this a good idea?
  

Since the NFL wants so badly to be big in Europe, I figured I would post a song by my new favorite band Phoenix. They hail from France, and I think the lyrics are perfect for this situation.



That is all; enjoy the draft, the NBA playoffs, and the beautiful weather this weekend is expected to bring.

Jermaine O'Neal, I hope you like Labatt Blue

On the eve of the draft the Pacers finally pulled off a trade to get more than Jermaine O'Neal is worth. There have been rumors for a little over a year now that the Pacers were shopping O'Neal. Finally they found a suitor, the Toronto Raptors. The deal, pending medical clearance, moves Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto in exchange for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the No. 17 pick.

According to the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, there will have to be another player or players added to the deal to make the salaries match.

Jermaine O'Neal is coming off his worst season since 2000, he played in only 42 games last year and at one point missed 33 straight games before returning to the lineup on March 31. His numbers were less than desirable, he averaged 13.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg after averaging 19.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg in 2006-07. Supposedly, according to team officials his knee is fine, yet it has plagued him since his surgery in April of 2007 to repair torn meniscus cartilage. This trade leaves the team with no first rounders for this years draft.

The Pacers don't have much to brag about on their end of the deal. TJ Ford brings 25 million left on a three-year deal and a history of neck injuries. Rasho is the least disirable player in the leaguetrade, following a season where he came off the bench for the first time in his career scoring 7.8 ppg and grabbing only 4.8 rpg.

In any estimation this was a trade that needed to get done for both teams. TJ Ford needed to move out of Calderons way and the Pacers needed to get something for O'Neal before he became a free agent. The upside to this deal for the Pacers, they now have the 11th and 17th picks in the draft. These bargaining chips could be exactly what they need to talk Miami into trading the number two pick and having their choice of OJ Mayo or Michael Beasley.

The one question this leaves me asking, what do I do with my fathead of Rasho.

2008 NBA Draft

The finals seemed like it just finished yesterday, but tommorow brings a fresh new start for all the teams in the NBA. Tommorow night is the NBA draft and I decided to do a mock, so you know whos picking when and what they are most likely going to do with their picks. The lottery brought a great suprise to the Chicago Bulls, when they earned the number one pick. Chicago native Derek Rose is the most likely to be picked at number one, he is a franchise changing point guard and can bring the Bulls back to legitimacy his first season in the league. Derek Rose is a freakish athlete that overwhelms defenders physically. Other teams who have taken PGs early in the first have seen the dramatic effects immediately (see: New Orleans and Utah). The other possible first pick is Michael Beasley, he is a do everything defender and was a prolific scorer at Kansas State. The only downside, he may be too small to play Power Foward in the league, but rest assure he will be atleast the 2nd pick. This is said to be one of the deepest drafts, as I look at the names I cannot argue with that statement. We will really won't know how this draft class stacks up for another 3-4 years. Heres my mock (click on their names for a highlight video):


1
Bulls
Derrick Rose PG19 years old; 6'3"; 190 lbs.Memphis, Freshman
2
Heat
Michael Beasley PF19 years old; 6'9"; 235 lbs.Kansas State, Freshman
3
Timberwolves
O.J. Mayo PG/SG20 years old; 6'5"; 195 lbs.USC, Freshman
4
SuperSonics
Brook Lopez C20 years old; 7'0"; 260 lbs.Stanford, Sophomore
5
Grizzlies
Kevin Love PF/C19 years old; 6'9"; 255 lbs.UCLA, Freshman
6
Knicks
Danilo Gallinari SF19 years old; 6'9"; 209 lbs.Armani Jeans Milano, International
7
Clippers
Jerryd Bayless PG/SG19 years old; 6'3"; 199 lbs.Arizona, Freshman
8
Bucks
Joe Alexander SF/PF21 years old; 6'8"; 230 lbs.West Virginia, Junior
9
Bobcats
Russell Westbrook PG/SG19 years old; 6'3"; 187 lbs.UCLA, Sophomore
10

Nets
Eric Gordon SG19 years old; 6'3"; 215 lbs.Indiana, Freshman
11
Pacers
D.J. Augustin PG20 years old; 5'11"; 175 lbs.Texas, Sophomore
12
Kings
Anthony Randolph SF/PF18 years old; 6'11"; 220 lbs.LSU, Freshman
13
Trailblazers
Alexis Ajinca C20 years old; 7'1"; 225 lbs.Hyeres-Toulon, International
14
Warriors
Donte Greene SF/PF 20 years old; 6'10"; 220 lbs.Syracuse, Freshman
15
Suns From Hawks
Brandon Rush SG/SF 22 years old; 6'7"; 211 lbs.Kansas, Junior
16
76ers
DeAndre Jordan C 19 years old; 7'0"; 260 lbs.Texas A&M, Freshman
17
Raptors
Robin Lopez PF/C20 years old; 7'0"; 255 lbs.Stanford, Sophomore
18
Wizards
Darrell Arthur PF20 years old; 6'9"; 215 lbs.Kansas, Sophomore
19
Cavaliers
Kosta Koufos C19 years old; 7'1"; 245 lbs.Ohio State, Freshman
20
Nuggets
JaVale McGee C20 years old; 7'0"; 237 lbs.Nevada, Sophomore
21
Nets From Mavericks
Marreese Speights PF/C20 years old; 6'10"; 245 lbs.Florida, Sophomore
22
Magic
Courtney Lee SG/SF22 years old; 6'5"; 200 lbs.Western Kentucky, Senior
23
Jazz
Roy Hibbert C21 years old; 7'2"; 272 lbs.Georgetown, Senior
24
SuperSonics From Suns
J.J. Hickson PF19 years old; 6'9"; 242 lbs.N.C. State, Freshman
25
Rockets
Chris Douglas-Roberts SG/SF21 years old; 6'7"; 200 lbs.Memphis, Junior
26
Spurs
Ryan Anderson (I couldn't find a decent highlight video of this guy, so I just posted the link of the time he was on Next on MTV. I believe it shows his abilities pretty well. Dont forget to watch part one and two.) PF20 years old; 6'10"; 240 lbs.California, Sophomore
27
Hornets
Mario Chalmers PG/SG22 years old; 6'1"; 190 lbs.Kansas, Junior
28
Grizzlies From Lakers
Jason Thompson C21 years old; 6'11"; 250 lbs.Rider, Senior
29
Pistons
Bill Walker SF20 years old; 6'6"; 225 lbs.Kansas State, Freshman
30
Celtics
DeVon Hardin C21 years old; 6'11"; 250 lbs.California, Senior

We leave you with this video of Kevin Love shooting half,3/4, and full court shots, and making them quite easily:



The draft is tommorow night on ESPN at 7pm.