He’s Not Coming Back

 

At the end of America’s greatest film of the last 50 years, Point Break, Johnny Utah along with his jean jacket Tim Riggins-ish hair and a small army of police storm Belles Beach to bring the elusive Bohdi, played flawlessly by the late Patrick Swayze, to justice.  After a brief fight in the ocean Keanu is able to handcuff himself to Swayze.  Utah tells Bodhi that he’s got to go down and make amends because things went bad.  Bodhi refuses to hear it, and pleads with Utah that it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to surf the “50 Year Storm.”  Suddenly resigned Utah uncuffs Bodhi to go surf the skyscraper sized waves and achieve surfing immortality before meeting his end.  As Bodhi is paddling out into the surf the police bombard Agent Utah asking why he let him go.  Without missing a beat Utah answers “Nah I didn’t.” Ignoring Utah, the police get themselves into position expecting Bodhi to return, yelling at one another, “We’ll get him when he comes back in!”  Utah, hearing the cops yelling at one another says to himself, “he’s nawt coming back,” before he ceremonially throws his F.B.I. badge into the water closing a chapter of his life.

I bring this up because in less than a month Lebron James is going be a free agent for the first time, assuming he opts out, since “The Decision.”  Ever since Lebron left Cleveland it feels like both the team and the fans have continued to chase him with the belief that he will come home.  The speculation grew this week after Cleveland won the draft lottery again, giving them a serious trade chip to acquire a top talent like the very available Kevin Love.  Forbes put out an article explaining why Lebron should return and TNT analyst Charles Barkley championed Lebron’s return to the Cavs as well.  Now I love the man, but Barkley voices a lot of opinions that make him look like a buffoon.  At the trade deadline this year he declared the Eastern Conference over after the Pacers acquired Evan Turner.  For the entire playoffs Turner has scored only 39 points, grabbed a meh 25 rebounds, dished out a forgettable 19 assists to go along with 9 turnovers and an “I didn’t know that was possible” -53 +/-.

I understand the Lebron debate brings more drama to the NBA off season discussion, but Cleveland fans need to know Lebron is not coming back as a basketball player.  Not this summer, or next, or in 2016, or when his following contract is up and he’s on his last legs.  Lebron is staying put in Miami.  It’s not his hometown, but Miami is his adopted home.

Lebron’s wife and children live down in Miami with him.  His kids are in school down there where I’m sure they’ve made friends and built a life.  The  same goes for his wife Savannah who recently opened her own juice bar down in Miami.  James also has interests in Miami.  It’s been reported that James has spoken with David Beckham about investing in the MLS expansion club in Miami.  A conversation that we know isn’t just a courtesy since Lebron already owns a small stake in Liverpool F.C.  Then of course there is also the advantage of being in Florida, which has no state tax, and living in freakin Miami.  Miami isn’t for everyone, but it’s better than Cleveland or Akron.  You don’t see Michael Bay filming dramatic shots of planes flying over a Cleveland billboard in his movies.  That sign, which apparently doesn’t exist outside of the movie world, always says Miami for a reason.

Cleveland fans are quick to point out that Lebron still owns his mansion in Akron, but he also owns a monstrosity in Coconut Grove and may own a chateau in France for all we know.  Maybe he kept the house in Akron because if he sold it he’d be taking a multi-million dollar hit to the head or because he has friends/family currently living there rent free and doesn’t want to kick them out.  One house does not a decision make.

Like most households big family decisions come down to what is best for the career of the primary breadwinner.  And if the best decision for Lebron was to return to Cleveland I’m sure his family would be willing to make the sacrifice.  But that’s the problem, the situation in Cleveland is an absolute gong show right now.

Starting at the top, the Cavaliers are still owned by Dan Gilbert, an evenly tanned businessman with greased backed hair and the charm of a frat bro who is 12 beers deep. Casual NBA fans probably remember him, I’m positive Lebron does.  Gilbert is the same owner who decided to publicly undress James after he made the ill-advised move of announcing where he’d sign his next NBA contract on national television.  When all of this went down Lebron was 25 years old.  Gilbert was a grown-ass man.  But that didn’t stop him from verbally assaulting the young adult.  In his open letter to Cavs fans Gilbert used words like former hero, deserted, narcissistic, self-promotional, betrayed, cowardly, self-titled, shameful, selfishness, disloyalty, heartless, callous action, self-delcared, dreaded spell, and bad karma.  Gilbert really went for the gusto by also putting quotes around the words, decision, witnessed, king, curse, and chosen one.  And if you could believe it Gilbert also threw the caps lock down to say, “I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE.” 

I still haven’t forgotten that letter and I have no ties to anyone involved in this situation.  If I’m James every time I see Gilbert, whether it be at a game in Cleveland or All Star Weekend, I’m showing him my middle finger with the championship rings stacked on top of one another.  Has there every been any sort of word that the two buried the hatchet?Superstars like Lebron act so polished in front of the camera that we can forget that they are human.  Behind the scenes though, I’m sure James would use some colorful language when discussing his feelings towards Dan Gilbert.  Lebron’s decision to leave was just business, Gilbert made it personal.

For arguments sake lets say James and Gilbert are able to co-exist once again.  Things are no more enticing in Cleveland from a purely basketball standpoint.  David Griffin has been the permanent GM in Cleveland for about a week, has no previous experience as the lead decision-maker and no championship rings on his fingers. In Miami James still has Pat Riley running the team, who has successfully constructed a roster that has made it to the last three NBA Finals and could very well be on their way to a fourth.

Well Cleveland does have Coach……  Wait no they don’t.  The Cavs just fired Mike Brown for the second time, after signing him to a five year contract last summer.  Amazingly enough Brown doesn’t hold the record for number of times fired by one Cleveland sports franchise.  That honor belongs to former Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski, who has been fired by the Browns THREE GOD DAMN TIMES since 2004.  That means between Mike Brown and Rod Chudzinski they’ve been fired a combined five times in one city since 2004.  Such collective sports franchise ownership incompetence may never be topped.  That is a stat that could last longer than Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak.

As for Cleveland’s current coaching search, it’s been reported they are aggressively combing the college basketball ranks to find their next coach.  The name circulating currently is Florida coach Billy Donovan.  Donovan is a Hall of Fame coach, but has zero NBA track record.  Plus, Donovan looks like a long shot to leave Gainesville.  Other sought after college coaches, like Tom Izzo and Kevin Ollie, don’t appear to be leaving for the NBA anytime soon.  Of the remaining coaches with NBA experience there is the miserly George Karl, the very average Alvin Gentry, and the somewhat appealing Lionel Hollins.  Or if James remains in Miami he can continue to be coached by Erik Spoelstra, who Lebron has built a rapport with and like Riley has been a part of the Heat’s last three NBA Finals appearances.

But what about Miami’s aging roster!  Ray Allen looks 25 but is really 45.  Chris Anderson is 35 but looks 65.  Wade’s knees have more rings around them than the giant redwoods in California and Chris Bosh avoids the paint as if it’s a poison peanut butter pit.  All true statements to a degree, but take a gander at the Cavaliers’ roster and it isn’t showing that much promise.

Their franchise centerpiece, Kyrie Irving, has averaged only 60 games over his first three seasons in the NBA.  The creaky Dwyane Wade at 32 played 54 games this season after playing  91 games last season.  Beyond games played, Irving has show very little leadership as the focal point of the Cavs.  To date his greatest accomplishments in the league include winning the 2014 NBA All Star Game MVP award and getting over 33 million YouTube views since 2012 for the original Uncle Drew Pepsi ad campaign.  Furthermore, Irving has already been voicing his own concern over the direction of the Cavs.

Then there is SG Dion Waiters.  Off the court Waiters is good buddies with the Browns’ suspended receiver Josh Gordon, who decided to stick his own nose into the Cavs situation this season.  On the court this year Waiters shot 43% from the field, 68% from the free throw line and finished the year with a 14.1 PER.  50% of the time when Waiters name made the front page of ESPN.com this year it was because of an alleged fight with a teammate, verbal back and forth with Irving, or because he’d shot the Cavs into another one of their 49 losses this season.

Beyond the Grumpy Old Men-ish backcourt the Cavs have an average power forward in Tristan Thompson, an aging Anderson Varejao, Jarret Jack, and last year’s first overall pick Anthony Bennett, who I can only hope isn’t puttering around a mental ward playing Connect Four with his imaginary friend Otis.

The Cavs have the first overall pick though!  That means Embiid, Wiggins, Parker, or a potential trade for Kevin Love!  Again this is true, but is Lebron going to be enticed by the opportunity to play with an 18 year old who is going take time to develop?  Lebron went through this process himself.  He knows how long it takes to become an elite player in the NBA.  Playing with Kevin Love I’m sure is enticing to Lebron, but what’s to stop Love from trying to force his way to Miami?

The Wolves are losing more of their leverage with each passing day.  If Lebron gives Kevin Love a call and says come play with me in Miami, do you think Love is going say, “No, I’ll only do it if we are both in Cleveland.”  Love can go to Flip Saunders tomorrow and say, “tell every other team I’m only opting in if I go to Miami.”  At that point Saunders is left with two options.  One, hold onto Love and let him play out the last year of his contract in Minnesota and wave goodbye as he walks away next off season.  Or two, watch the offers start to dry up since no team is going to want to give up serious assets and risk Love leaving after one season, like Dwight Howard did last off season, leaving  Saunders with no choice but to trade Love for Chris Bosh, some future first rounders, and cap relief.

Even if that is too far-fetched for some people to believe, James and Miami have a lot of options.  Riley could convince Wade and Bosh to opt out this year and give them more guaranteed years for less money allowing the Heat to pursue someone like Eric Bledsoe, Pau Gasol or Greg Monroe in free agency.  A concept that isn’t insane considering Bosh, James, and Wade all took less money the first time around to make history.  The Heat don’t need THAT much to keep this thing going.

If Wade and Bosh balk at that idea then they can play out their contracts try to win over the next two years and Riley can let them walk after 2016, when the free agent pool will include players like LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, and potentially Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving.  Even if the Heat don’t win the title the next two seasons Lebron is still going to be only 31 years old.  Jordan and Bulls began their second three-peat when Jordan was 32 and the Bulls had retooled their roster.  Also the East doesn’t look like it is getting that much more competitive in the near future.

The point of all of this is that Lebron is like gravity.  Players are going to come to him.  He doesn’t need to go anywhere.  When anyone thinks of the Heat, James is the first player that comes to mind.  This isn’t Wade’s team anymore.  So whether it is this summer, next summer, or in 2016 elite players will still be clamoring to play with James barring any sort of catastrophic injury.  Lebron doesn’t need to manipulate his situation anymore.  After winning two rings and potentially a third in the coming weeks others will manipulate their own situation to come play with him.

The argument that Lebron feels some need to return home and play for his hometown is a flimsy one.  I recognize that the situation is different since he started in Cleveland, but was there ever any outcry for Jordan to play in Charlotte, or for Magic to return to Detroit, or for Bird to bring the Pacers a title?  Those three players like James made the city they won in their adopted home.  I’m sure there is already a spot picked out for a statue of James outside Miami’s arena.  The same way Jordan’s is built in Chicago, Magic’s is in Los Angeles, and Bird’s will be in Boston.  Cavaliers management is rotten from top to bottom right now.  There is no real upside for James to return to Cleveland.  My guess, Lebron follows in the footsteps of the great players previously mentioned and one day seizes control of the Cavaliers from that walking hard-on Dan Gilbert.

Before letting Swayze go off to wrestle with his maker Keanu looks at his ex-compadre that betrayed him and says (in classic Keanu cadence), “via con dios.”  Unlike Johnny Utah, Cleveland fans never had the opportunity to say goodbye to James and gain closure.  Because of that I can sympathize with the Cleveland fans.  They had this generational talent grown in their own backyard and playing for THEIR team, but management and ownership screwed the whole thing up and that generational talent left town without a goodbye.  It’s not your fault Cleveland fans.  If I could, I’d hug you all like Sean MacGuire in Good Will Hunting.  Like Bodhi, Lebron James has a chance to reach immortality as it relates to his life’s work. He’s not there yet, but he’s in range.  Cleveland, let him go.  It’s time to leave the beach, he’s not coming back.

 

NBA Lottery Power Rankings

10.  The Wolves

Watching another All-NBA player walk out of Minneapolis is going be painful for Wolves fans.  And losing Love is going be tougher than when Kevin Garnett was traded to the Celtics.  When Garnett left he was 30 years old, had spent 12 seasons trying to bring the Wolves to relevance, won an MVP, and made it to a conference finals in 2004.  Love on the other hand is only 25 years old, has never been able to give the Wolves fans a playoff run, and would still be on the team for two more seasons had former GM David Kahn given him a max extension.

The smallest of silver linings though is that there will be no shortage of teams willing to trade multiple assets for Kevin Love.  Since both the Celtics and Lakers didn’t make it into the top three of the lottery they may both look make a play for Love. The Cavs could also make a play for Love, since they have their own all-star to please before he’s able to bolt for a more successful franchise.  In addition to those three the Bulls, Warriors, Sixers, Suns, Rockets, Knicks (only in a ceremonial fashion), and Jazz (my dark horse pick) will all at the very least make calls to the Wolves to see what it’d take to trade for Love.  With that many teams the Wolves could start a very serious bidding war for the young power forward.  If Flip Saunders can learn a thing or two from the Orlando Magic/Dwight Howard situation he could have the team back on the upswing in a relatively short period of time.

9.  Ernst & Young

How did Ernst & Young become the official accounting firm of stuffing and delivering envelopes for all forms of entertainment?  They’re stuffing the envelopes at the NBA lottery, the Oscars, the Grammys, the Emmys, and the Golden Globes.  When envelopes need stuffing people in sports and entertainment call Ernst & Young.  Doesn’t Deloitte deserve their time in the spotlight just once?

8.  The Charlotte Bobcats Hornets

The bizarro Charlotte Hornets had a big week.  They finally put to rest the terrible Bobcats name, which hopefully includes these “Nascar Night” uniforms.  The Charlotte basketball fans had without a doubt the worst mascot in the NBA.  They can thank former owner Robert Johnson for the atrocious name.  While not confirmed, there has always been suspicion that Johnson chose the Bobcats name because his name was a part of the mascot.  If that rumor is ever confirmed we’ll know the cause of the organizations previous ten years of basketball, which resembled Bobcat excrement.  When I buy the 76ers I’m going rename them the Philadelphia Druids.  Look at what has happened since Jordan and the Charlotte organization announced they’d be changing the name back last May.

• Jordan went from being a completely incompetent owner to a below average owner with the selection of Steve Clifford as head coach
• They were able to sign Al Jefferson in the off season, who brought some respectability to the franchise and played like a legitimate all star
• Their 2013 NBA Draft pick Cody Zeller doesn’t look like a complete train wreck.  A comment most 2013 lottery teams couldn’t say about their selection in last year’s draft.
• Clifford got a marginally talented Charlotte roster to rank 6th in Defense Rating this season.
• The team won 43 games and made the playoffs for only the second time in 10 years
• And last night thanks to Joe Dumars, Corey Maggette, and the abomination that was the Ben Gordon contract the Hornets received the 9th overall pick from the Pistons. The highest the pick could have been without it carrying over another year.

Because the team was so good defensively in 2013/2014 and so terrible shooting the ball (25th in FG%, 23rd in 3FG%, 24th in FT%, and 24th in OffRtg) Doug McDermott might be the perfect piece to add to the team, along with whatever they do with Portland’s 2014 first round pick (24th overall), and the 18 million plus they’ll have in cap space this summer.

7.  Dell Demps’ psychiatrist 

I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Dell Demps last night.  When watching him all I could think of was the scene in Terminator 2 when Miles Dyson agrees to stay back to blow up Cyberdyne, and is left with only his thoughts and past mistakes just before setting the bomb off.  I can’t imagine anyone else in the New Orleans organization volunteered to go to New York and force a smile knowing that there is almost no chance of the team keeping the pick.  So like a good soldier Demps went to NYC and ate the grenade all by himself, muttering “I don’t know how much longer I can hold this.”

I’m thrilled the Sixers will have two top 10 picks heading into the draft, but god dammit it was painful seeing Demps up at the podium.  This isn’t all on Demps either.  Ownership demanded they try to win this season, which is what led to the Holiday for Noel and a 2014 1st round pick trade.  Now that the trade is complete I’ll be rooting for the Pelicans next year, because as of right now this trade looks like it could end up being one of the most lopsided in recent memory.

6.  The Eastern Conference

 

Lost in all of the other compelling story lines is the fact that teams from the Eastern Conference control 5 of the top 6 picks, 7 of the top 10, 8 of the 14 lottery picks, and 13 of the top 20 selections.  The West has been the deeper conference for more than a decade, but sports are cyclical and if the Eastern Conference teams pick correctly the talent gap between the East and the West could begin to shrink after the draft.

5.  Orlando Magic

The Magic are well on their way back to playoff contention.  They have young players on the rise in Nikolas Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Victor Oladipo, and Moe Harkless.  A veteran in Aaron Afflalo that could net them more young assets or picks in a trade, and the 4th and 12th picks in the draft.  By the end of the draft the Magic could field a starting five of Vucevic, Harris, James Young, Oladipo, and Dante Exum.  Maybe the Magic also decide to get in on the Kevin Love action.  They certainly have the trade chips to pull it off.

4.  Philadelphia 76ers

I’ll go more in depth with regard to the Sixers options later, but their plan to demolish the roster and start over has worked out wonderfully so far.  A year ago they were picking 11th  with the potential of losing their 2013 1st round pick, no real salary cap relief and no direction.  Thanks to a team wide commitment to blow the whole thing up the Sixers now have the reigning rookie of the year, the 3rd and 10th picks in the upcoming draft, 5 more second round picks, 30 million in cap room, and they’ll have a chance to what they have in Noel.  Getting the first overall pick would have been ideal, but as I’ve said before drafting MCW where they did in last year’s draft is already lucky.  Of the 65 ROY winners only 5 were picked lower than 10th in the draft.  Carter-Williams is the first since Mark Jackson won in 1988.  Like winning a championship you need some luck to go your way when building a team, and the Sixers got some of that luck with the selection of Carter-Williams.

Most people consider this a four person draft, and the Sixers are picking third.  Getting the 5th pick would have been tough to swallow, but at 3 the Sixers will have the opportunity to draft Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, or Exum.  Plus they’ll draft another player at 10 that could be Stauskas, LaVine, or maybe Aaron Gordon if things fall right for Hinkie and the Sixers.  Hinkie also has Thaddeus Young and ample cap space to maneuver the team into what he feels is the best draft position.  The team is going be the NBA equivalent of a day care center next season, but they are going be exciting for the first time in a dozen years and may even make it back onto national television.

3.  Mallory Edens

So let me get this straight.  Mallory Edens is gorgeous, can get court side seats to any NBA game she chooses, and will receive a substantial trust fund if she hasn’t already.  Wait, she definitely hasn’t received that trust fund yet since she’s just graduating from high school.  I was going make a joke about Tinder and swiping right for Mallory.  Now I feel slightly dirty.  I’m also creeped out that her dad was cool with pimping her out on stage like that.  Simmons always mentions new owners want to make big moves right away, and judging from his decision to put his hot 18 year old daughter on national tv I’d bet new owner Wed Edens is going be more involved with Bucks personnel decisions.  Mitch Kupcheck is probably on the phone with Wes Edens right now telling him he can have his daughter on the next season of Real Housewives in exchange for Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo.

2.  The Cleveland Cavaliers

I believe it was former president Franklin Roosevelt who said, “Cleveland blows.”  My entire extended family is from the Cleveland area, and I’ll have not problem letting them know my thoughts on the city’s sports franchises.  After the lottery results the Cleveland fan base can no longer claim to be the most tortured sports city.  If they can’t put a respectable team on the court next season Dan Gilbert should be stripped of his son’s bow tie and his ownership of the Cavs.  The Cavs shouldn’t win the lottery again until we’re within five years of the sun burning out.  You’re on the clock Cleveland.  Don’t fuck this up, again.

1.  The Julius Erving “WHAT THE FUCK” Face

When Irving heard the Sixers name after the 10th pick I thought he was going charge Adam Silver like a crazy-eyed William Wallace and stuff him into the lottery ball machine.  After a few seconds and a quick explanation of what was going on the good doctor settled back down.  In fairness, this was the first time I remember them announcing the actual team picking and not the original team with the pick so I understand his confusion.  Also my buddy Tanner pointed out, you got the briefest of glimpses into how competitive guys like Irving are at any age and in any scenario where there is a winner.

Thank you to Dan McQuade of Phillymag.com for doing God’s work and making the Dr. J. reaction into a gif.

Kevin Durant’s MVP Speech

Take the time to listen to his speech in its entirety.  It’s only the length of a Friends re-run.  I promise it’s worth it.

More Pertinent Thoughts on the Eagles 2014 Draft

Last year was Kelly and Roseman’s first draft working together and as things stand now it was a success.  The top three picks (Johnson, Ertz, and Logan) all played a significant number of snaps as rookies and showed promise.  Earl Wolff and Matt Barkley also saw time as well, with limited success compared to the other three.  Of the Eagles late round picks LB/DE Joe Kruger is still with the team after spending the year on IR, and could be a contributor this season.

Using last year’s draft as a guide to what the Eagles look for in players a few things stand out.  For starters all the players the Eagles selected in 2013 were at the top end of the spectrum in terms of measurables for their position.  Each ranked as at least a 3 out of 5 (1 being the best, 3 being the lowest) according to Scouts Inc on ESPN.com with the exception of Matt Barkley, who was a 4.  Johnson, Logan, Wolff, Kruger, were all a 1 or a 2.  Johnson’s 4.72 40 time was actually a little better than TE Zach Ertz.

Another thing that stood out was that the Eagles seemed to keep their word when they said they “stuck to their draft board.”  This selection of Ertz in the 2nd round was maybe the best example from the 2013 draft.  Despite already having productive TE Brent Celek on roster, and countless holes to fill the Eagles picked Ertz, who so thought would be a late first round pick.  While some Eagles fans balked at first, myself included, Ertz looks like a potential Pro Bowler at the position in the coming years.  This philosophy is welcomed in Philly after watching Reid spend two seasons reaching for players like Danny Watkins and Jaiquawon Jarrett.

The third trait that carried through the Eagles draft picks was that they were all productive college players.  Johnson was an Academic 1st Team All American at OU for two years and Ertz caught 69 passes for almost 900 yards and 6 touchdowns at Stanford. Logan a DT from LSU was a productive member of the NCAA’s best defensive line in 2012.  Matt Barkley was a four year starter at USC and safety Earl Wolff was a three year starter at NC State and 1st team All ACC his senior year after he recorded 119 tackles, 8 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions.

The last thing every Eagles selection had in common with the exception of Jordan Poyer was each player was described as a leader, with a great work ethic, and passion for football.  Hopefully ESPN doesn’t come and revoke my insider subscription for posting premium content, but here is what Scouts Inc wrote about each player under the Intangibles column.

Lane Johnson

Outstanding student. Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2011 and 2012. No off the field incidents to our knowledge. Hard worker and determined football player. Versatile athlete with experience at QB, TE, DE, ROT and LOT. Human relations major at OU.

Zach Ertz

Accountable on and off the field. Active in community service. Not a partier and not a drinker. Continues to mature and develop as a leader. Son of Douglas and Lisa Ertz. Oldest of four children. Father played football at Lehigh.

Bennie Logan

Outstanding football character. Earned right to wear prestigious No. 18 as a junior in 2012. Tradition goes back to QB Matt Mauck, who wore No. 18 during 2003 national title run. Jersey is handed down to a player best representing what it means to be a Tiger on and off the field. Coordinator John Chavis on Logan: ‘It’s important to help your young guys learn how to practice, and leadership is not just in the games. It’s every day. It’s every minute you’re on the field, and when you’ve got a guy like Bennie Logan in your room, he’s going to set the tempo’. Son of Sandra Logan and Bennie Frost. Has seven siblings.

Matt Barkley

Disciplined individual. Showed good leadership during transition from Pete Carroll to Lane Kiffin, in addition to severe sanctions levied on USC football program prior to the 2010 season. A three-time team captain and was the first sophomore in USC history to be named team captain. Understands the necessary sacrifices on the field, in the film room and weight room in order to be successful at the most demanding position in professional sports. Holds a career mark of 34-13 in 47 starts. Matt and his family have spent recent Christmas’ volunteering with orphans in third world countries.

Earl Wolff

Excellent intangibles. Young man of high character. Grades out very high in terms of football character and intelligence. Graduated with a degree in sport management in December, 2011 (in three-and-a-half years). His mother, Sharon Davis, is a master sergeant in the National Guard. Davis was deployed in Kuwait, with the 113th Sustainment Brigade, for a year. She worked in logistics and acquisitions.

Joe Kruger

Son of Paul and Jennifer Kruger. Father played football for Oregon State. Oldest brother Paul is 3-4 outside linebacker who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens last year and signed with the Cleveland Browns during the off-season. Older brother Dave played defensive tackle for the Utes last year. Brother-in-law Tony Bergstrom is a backup offensive tackle for Oakland Raiders. Hard worker.

This emphasis on character extended into the Eagles free agency approach as well.  Barwin and Casey were both known as players with high character.  Carey Williams, while concerned with his sconces was known as a fierce competitor and it showed.  This season the acquisition of Malcolm Jenkins continued to follow that trend.  Coming into the draft from OSU here is a scouting report on Jenkins character from CBS Sports.  I couldn’t find one from ESPN.

Jenkins was a mentor for the team’s younger players at Ohio State. He is a leader by example on the field, but grabbed a more vocal role in the locker room after being named defensive captain. He is very mature for his age and has the blue-collar work ethic to go with his blue-chip ability. He does well in the classroom and has no known off-field issues. He is not the type that needs attention. He takes well to hard coaching and comes across as very respective and team-oriented in interviews.

The most discussed Eagles off season move also has the smell of a player’s character being brought into question.  Desean Jackson’s release this off season has produced the most venom on the local radio airwaves since J.D. Drew refused to sign with the Phillies.  While I don’t believe Jackson was let go “for football reasons” I also am skeptical it had anything to do with his supposed gang ties.  From what’s leaked to the media and other rumors swirling Jackson was maybe the Eagles most difficult employee.  There was the visible argument with a coach during the Vikings game and of course his comment after the season ended that he would like to be paid more.  I find it hard to fault NFL players looking to make more money, but Jackson was due 8 figures this coming season had he remained an Eagle, which would have made him one of the five highest paid WR in the NFL.  So from the sound of things Jackson was a little more me and a little less team, than Kelly liked and they made the decision to let him walk.  Looking at last year’s draft and free agent signings regardless of whether or not I believe the Eagles screwed up in getting nothing in return for Jackson I have to give him credit for remaining consistent.  Now I hope that carries over to this year’s draft or I’m going look like an ass.

Quarterback

Unless Kelly goes rogue and decides to dump Foles for Manziel, which I believe is highly unlikely, I don’t see quarterback being a focus for the Eagles this year.  Maybe in the later rounds I could see them draft Logan Thomas from Va Tech, but that would be more as an athlete than a QB.  At 6’6″ 250 with a 4.6 40 yard dash time, large hands, and supposedly a great work ethic I could see the Kelly and the Eagles try to develop Thomas into a WR or TE.

Running Back

Much like QB, I can’t see RB being a high priority this draft.  Not only do the Eagles have the 2013 rushing leader in McCoy, but they also carry Bryce Brown, Carlos Polk, and newly acquired RB/WR Darren Sproles already.  So I think you can scratch Hyde, Hill, and Mason off the board.  As for the smaller RB/WR types maybe the Eagles pick one in the 3rd or 4th if they like the value.  Both Dri Archer and De’Anthony Thomas returned kicks and or punts at their respective schools, which is something the Eagles could use with Jackson now gone and Demerius Johnson providing little in the return game last year.  Thomas and the Eagles interest or lack of interest in him will be worth watching.  He was incredibly productive at Oregon, but has some red flags.  In three seasons at Oregon Thomas scored 46 touchdowns amassed over 1,800 yards rushing, and another 1,000 yards receiving.  However Thomas also ran into some injuries and actually saw his numbers drop each year.  With that said though he was absolutely one of the most exciting players to watch the last few years, at one point being must see tv. Maybe Chip feels like he knows him well enough to take a shot in the 3rd/4th round, or he goes the other way and feels he knows him well enough to know that the shenanigans will continue at the pro level.

Fullback

Is the position officially extinct or are they still on the endangered species list?

Wide Receiver

Here’s where it finally gets interesting.  Personally, I don’t see WR as being as big of a need as most of Philadelphia.  Yes, Jackson is gone, but I don’t think the Eagles will have as difficult a time replacing his production.  Maclin is back this season and even though he is coming off an ACL this isn’t 1988.  In four season, which includes the dumpster fire of 2012, Maclin has been consistent.  After taking a deep breath if Eagles fans would realize he’ll be stepping into Jackson’s spot and that they will need to fill the spot vacated by Avant in the draft things don’t seem so dire.

As for the WR prospects using last draft as a road map I think you can cross Kelvin Benjamin right off the Eagles list.  He’s got character questions, he’s described as a sloppy route runner, and at almost 260 he might not even be a WR two years from now.  Off the top of my head he sounds a lot like a former 1st round WR from USC named Mike Williams.  Bill Barnwell, a solid NFL writer at Grantland, thinks Evans is the ideal WR for Kelly.  That’s probably true, but at the same time Evans is the ideal WR for any NFL team.  He’s productive, has great size and enough speed.  That doesn’t make him ideal for one coach.  That makes him ideal for any coach.  As for the next tier, Cooks, Lee, and Beckum I could see Lee or Beckum being the Eagles pick.  Again using last year’s draft Cooks, while checking the boxes of being incredibly productive and of high character, he’s behind in the measurables department.  While Kelly’s biggest leading WR at Oregon was Jeff Maehl, at six feet, that may have been more do to recruiting limitations than preference.  Marqise Lee looks like he is right in Kelly’s wheelhouse.  I think they could use more help on defense but, if Lee is the highest rated guy on their board then they should go for it instead of reaching for a 29 year old safety that was a sheriff before playing football for two years at Texas Tech.

If the Eagles pass on a WR in the first then they can pick one on the 2nd day of the draft.  Martavis Bryant can be crossed off the board, along with Benjamin if he makes it to day two.  I’d be willing to bet my mediocre salary neither guy is coming here.  I’d have zero issues with them drafting Davante Adams, Jordan Matthews, Jarvis Landry, Cody Latimer, Donte Moncrief, or Brandon Coleman.

On the third day or even third round I’d love for them to pick up Jarred Abbrederis from Wisconsin.  He was Wisconsin’s only receiving threat for three seasons, everyone on the field knew it and the guy still produced.  I had two watch him on two occasions beat the ever loving shit out of former Buckeye and 1st round prospect Bradley Roby.  This past season Abbrederis caught 10 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown against Roby and OSU.

Offensive Line

With the selection of Lane Johnson last year and the extension of Jason Peters this offseason offensive tackle doesn’t appear to be a big priority either.  I could see them taking a developmental guy in the later rounds, but kind of doubt we’ll see a tackle picked in the first three rounds.

Guard on the other hand I could see the Eagles selecting at some point on the second day.  Herremans was the weak spot on what might have been the best offensive line in the NFL last year, so selecting a guard really isn’t a need, but would be nice to have looking forward.  As for the players available I’m no expert, and can’t in any way claim to have watched guards closely last season.  Going off of ESPN Xavier Su’a Filo from UCLA looks to be the best guy out there.  All I know is he’s Samoan and that there have been a number of nasty lineman that have come from that tiny island.  Plus he’s got a cool name, so I’m all in.

At center Jason Kelce and his facial hair were locked up this winter for a bunch of money so there isn’t a need to worry about the guy whose butt will be the home of Nick Foles’ hands.

Defensive Line

The Eagles need defensive line or linebacker help because somebody needs to be able to rush the quarterback.  The Eagles ranked 20th in sacks last year with 37, and to be honest that was higher than I thought they would have ranked.  There were games like the San Diego one when the quarterback had eons before having to get rid of the ball resulting  in Rivers throwing for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Trouble is it doesn’t look like there are very many pass rushers in the draft.  Clowney and Mack are sure to be gone.  Aaron Donald doesn’t look like a fit for what the Eagles want to do.  Anthony Barr would be my ideal pick for the Eagles and despite his slide into the 20s in a lot of mock drafts Mike Mayock of the NFL Network said Barr’s slide was more of a media fabrication than truth.  After those three I’m not sure who is left that fits what the Eagles want to do.  Ford, Ealy, and Crichton all had success getting to the QB in college, but also look more suited to be 4-3 ends.  Stephen Tuitt from Notre Dame would be a solid pick for the Eagles, but I don’t know how much pressure you can expect out of a 3-4 end.  Another Notre Dame defensive lineman I’d like is nose tackle Louis Nix III.  I hope he’s an Eagle because of his performance on the field, but maybe more so to see where his Chocolate News YouTube show goes as he becomes a pro.  Judging from the moves they’ve made since Kelly became coach defensively they’ve geared their philosophy towards stopping the pass, so with that in mind maybe a player like Nix isn’t as high on their board since he’s known more for his run stuffing ability.

Other lineman or rush LB that aren’t YouTube sensations that I could see the Eagles taking in the early rounds are Kareem Martin from UNC, Marcus Smith from Louisville, Jeremiah Attaochu from Georgia Tech, and Brent Urban from UVA.  Those four all look like they fit the profile for the type of players Kelly and Roseman are looking for.

Players you won’t see coming to Philly include Ra’Shede Hageman, Demarcus Lawrence, and Timmy Jernigan.  All have serious red flags particularly Jernigan who reportedly failed his drug test at the combine.  If a player is dumb enough to fail the combine drug test than he might not be smart enough to pick up the defense.  Think about it, this guy gets busted WHEN HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT DAY HE WAS BEING TESTED.  That’s like knowing where a sobriety checkpoint is and deciding to down a 5th of Jack Daniels moments before it’s your turn to speak to the police officer.

Late round guys I could see here include Ed Stinson of Alabama, Jackson Jeffcoat of Texas, Taylor Hart of Oregon, or Deandre Coleman of Cal.

Linebacker

Mosley and Shazier both look like they’ll be gone when the Eagles pick.  Of the two I’d prefer Mosley to Shazier, but neither is a player I’ll be heartbroken to miss out on.  Of the linebackers that will be around in the 2nd and 3rd rounds I’d be thrilled to see Kyle Van Noy or Chris Borland in an Eagles uniform.  Borland could slide right into Ryans spot after this season and Van Noy is the kind of “swiss army knife” type (think Barwin) that Kelly covets.

Neither FSU linebacker, Smith and Jones, will end up an Eagle.  Both had red flags prior to the combine and both like Jernigan failed the combine drug test so they’ve been voted off the island.  Ditto for Prince Shembo from Notre Dame, despite the great name.

Players I could see here from mid to late rounds would be Adrian Hubbard of Bama, Shayne Skov of Stanford, or Ronald Powell from Florida.  The one player though I want more than any other in the draft though is Trent Murphy from Stanford.  The guy is a absolute ox, and was the clear leader of what may have been college football’s best defense last year.  Murphy also produced at Stanford racking up 25 sacks and 41.5 tackles for a loss during his last two years of college.  Maybe the best part thing about Murphy is under hobbies ESPN listed steer wrestling.  Who the fuck is steer wrestling in 2014?  Bring this guy to Philly.  As my buddy Steve said he looks like some J.J. Watt Connor Barwin hybrid.

Defensive Backs

At corner I could see Gilbert, Dennard, Verrett or Fuller fitting in with the Eagles next season if any of them fall to the Eagles in the first round.  Bradley Roby is the one I don’t want in Philly.  I saw enough of him in college and heard enough stories to know he was inconsistent and kind of a dog.  Add in the off field stuff and Roby ain’t making the flight to Philadelphia.

After the top group I could see Jean-Baptise or Joyner make their way to Philadelphia.  Jean-Baptiste exceeds the physical requirements the Eagles look for, while Joyner fulfills the character and intangible qualities Kelly and Roseman value.  Again I haven’t watched enough cornerback play to know much, but of all the guys listed Dennard from MSU did jump out a number of times this season when playing for Michigan State.

At safety I’m in the Philadelphia minority (typically the right place to be) I don’t think safety is such a pressing need.  The Eagles brought in Malcolm Jenkins, saw solid contributions from Earl Wolff, and most importantly cut Patrick Chung.  The subtraction of Chung alone will lead to 3 fewer passing touchdowns allowed next season.  On top the that the safeties this year are nothing to get too excited over.  Pryor was labeled a big hitter, which is swell but he isn’t as well know for his coverage skills which is just a bit more important.  As I said before Kelly seems geared toward stopping the pass so I don’t see Pryor being a fit even if he is there at 22.  As for Clinton-Dix I saw enough of him at Bama to know he really isn’t that special.  He was highly recruited and was solid while at Alabama, but he was spectacular.  Also if he’s in Philly can you imagine the puns the paper will come up with?  “Ha Ha and Eagles Get Last Laugh” or “The Eagles Ha Ha Moment” maybe “Ha Ha Has Nobody Laughing About The Eagles Defense Now.”  I don’t need that in my life, and you shouldn’t want it in your life either.  Jimmie Ward has serious character issues so that’s the big N-Zero.  If Deone Bucannon or Terrence Brooks from FSU are there in the 2nd round either may be the pick, but again I don’t see the Eagles all that concerned with safety.

My Ideal Scenario

I’d love Anthony Barr to be there for the Eagles, but if he isn’t I’d really like to see the Eagles move down and add another 2nd or 3rd round pick.  For what has felt like years all Kiper, McShay, and Mayock have said is that this is a historically deep draft.  I have no reason not to trust them, so I hope the Eagles can add more picks because while the Eagles don’t really have a lot specific needs they do need to just add more overall talent to the defense and general depth across the board.

 

Go Birds.

Drafts of Future Past

 

At the Coogee Palace. Those beers cost us nothing because we ALWAYS choose Rock.

Tonight an old tradition is renewed.  From as far back as the pick of disappointing offensive tackle Bernard Williams to the head scratching pick of Kevin Kolb I watched almost all of the NFL Drafts in between with my best friend Tanner.  After a six year hiatus Tanner and I will once again embark on an Eagles Draft

The early years were spent in my parent’s basement or in the”Africa” room at Tanner’s parents house with Oreo’s, the now discontinued BBQ Fritos, and empty cases of Barq’s Root Beer scattered throughout the room giving it the look of a middle school frat party.  We’d go underground a la Osama Bin Ladin for the entire weekend without much if any communication to the outside world.  The only times the TV wasn’t set to ESPN is when we took a break in order to continue our Madden franchises, which took our NFL nerddum to a level only few can achieve.  We (When I say we I mean me because Tanner wrote like a stroke victim) actually used to write down our players career stats to keep a record of what players had a better career.  Thankfully Madden helped us and added that feature sometime during the 90’s.

It was during those years when we watched the Eagles select disappointing wide receivers like Todd Pinkston, Gari Scott, and the notorious Freddie Mitchell.  There was the parade of mediocre linebackers like James Darling, Quinton Caver, Barry Gardner, and Ray Farmer.  We watched workout warrior Mike Mamula come to Philadelphia in 1995.  In 1996 the Eagles selected a partially blind guard Jermaine Mayberry, who actually turned out to be one of the better Eagles first round picks of the 90s.  Then there was the nightmare of 1997 when the Eagles picked Virginia DE Jon Harris, who was considered a 4th round talent, BUT was rumored to be high on the 49ers draft board.  Years later it came out that the Eagles selected Harris because they were in a state of panic.  How that happens in a professional football war room is beyond me, but if you’ve seen the new movie Draft Day and found it hard to believe NFL teams were frozen with fear because a player they believed would be gone was still there I’m here to tell you that it can happen to your team.  It wasn’t all bad though as we saw Ray Rhodes and Andy Reid select some Eagles greats like Jeremiah Trotter, Deuce Staley, Bobby Taylor, Donovan McNabb, Tra Thomas, and Brian Dawkins.

In college the tradition continued more or less even with Tanner in Madison and myself in Columbus.  There was our sophomore year when Tanner drove down to Columbus and we watched at my place, which was the closest I’ve ever been and ever hope to be living in a Real World house.  One of my six roommates was a rabid Browns fan and invited his entire town of Minster, Ohio to the house for a draft party.  The party included dozens of shirtless men in jean shorts, another roommate of mine marching around the house in his ROTC issued underwear and boots singing “Yellow Submarine” and a girl declaring to the party that she wanted to deficate on the sofa.   That girl is now married and has children.  All of this was taking place while Tanner and I intently watched the Eagles select former lunatic and Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews, which looking back on it seems appropriate given our surroundings for the 2004 NFL Draft.

The next year was yet another unforgettable chapter in our draft history.  It was 2005, the Eagles had just lost the Super Bowl and Tanner and I were studying abroad in Australia.  Sydney is truly one of the best cities in the world to spend a semester abroad with the great weather, beaches, meat pies, and bars that will engage in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to settle your drink order.  One of the only minuses though is the lack of access to American television.  Tanner, being the much more stubborn and determined individual, convinced me to spend the Thursday afternoon before the draft going from bar to bar asking if they by chance have satellite television and get any American sports channels.  Whether or not this was even feasible at the time I don’t know.  But we trekked across Sydney, even at one point entering the seedy red light district that left me with literal scars the last time we were there thanks to my chest being used as a prop for one of the dancers.  Needless to say we came up empty, and then resorted to checking the internet for a live feed.  Had this been any year after 2007 I’m guessing we would have had more luck.  But it was only 2005 and in one final act of desperation Tanner placed a call stateside to his younger brother Griffin, who played the hero and held a computer up to the TV while we listened to the draft at 4 AM Sydney time through Skype.  Before 2012, the 2005 draft was the last time the Eagles selected an impact player (Trent Cole) on defense.  I probably still haven’t apologized to my college roommate, abroad roommate, and all-time friend Tina for putting up with the pouting, pathetic, and whinny behavior leading up to the draft.  Tina if you read this, I’m still sorry.

No that’s not Ripley, it the girl in the pigtails from the “Hit Me Baby One More Time” video

And then there was the last draft Tanner and I watched together in 2007.  Britney Spears’ head was freshly shaven, the iPhone was nothing more than a rumor, and “Umbrella” was being played on a loop throughout every bar in America.  This time around I made the journey north to Wisconsin to watch with Tanner and his roommates Nosal and Devlin.  Their apartment was much more equipped for a solid 10 hour draft viewing.  They had a chalkboard wall where we wrote down our first round predictions and a shuffle board table to distract us while Berman shouted things and Kiper droned on about the fall of Brady Quinn.  It was a great afternoon with two exceptions.  The first being the apartment agreement to drink a shot of gin after Ted Ginn Jr was selected.  The Dolphins knowing this, decided to screw with us and picked Ginn 7th meaning we were to slug gin before 1 PM.  To be honest I can’t remember if we all took the shot or decided it was entirely too early to drink gin.  The second snafu of course came when Andy Reid and the Birds front office once again got Tanner and I to both say “what the fuck” by their decision to trade down and select quarterback Kevin Kolb with their first pick in the second round.  Despite having McNabb on roster Reid decided to shake things up causing Philadelphia to go into a total meltdown along with Tanner and myself.  Meanwhile our friend Devlin, a Giants fan, was mumbling trying to convince himself that he wasn’t upset with the Giants selection of Aaron Ross.  I still struggle to call the Kolb pick a success or a failure.  On the one hand by trading down they picked up a 3rd rounder (Stewart Bradley) and a 5th rounder (C.J. Gaddis) and then when they traded Kolb to Arizona they got back CB Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick (Nate Allen).  So the Eagles technically were net positive after the Kolb pick, but they managed to bungle every extra pick they received so in the end it was the equivalent of trading cat poo for dog poo.

Never. Forget.

The years since were some of the darkest drafts for Eagles fans.  Reid’s fetish for “fastballs” along the DL reached new heights with the selections of Trevor Laws, Bryan Smith who weighed 225 as a DE, Brandon Graham, and Daniel Teo-Neisham (pronounced Teo-Not-Gonna-Play-Here).  Those four DL , who were all selected between rounds 1 and 3, have totaled 17.5 sacks with the Eagles over a combined nine seasons.  Smith never tallied a single tackle as an Eagle.  Beyond the defensive line drafting a large part of Reid’s downfall in Philly can be attributed to his selections in the 2010 and 2011 drafts.  Of the 24 picks made over those two years only center Jason Kelce, wide receiver Riley Cooper, kicker Alex Henery, and the previously mentioned Brandon Graham are still on the team.  And by the time Jacksonville comes to Philly to begin the 2014 season the only locks to still be on the team are Cooper and Kelce.  Thankfully Reid’s last draft as Eagles coach and Kelly’s first have helped restock the Eagles roster.  Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Nick Foles, Brandon Boykin, Bryce Brown, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Bennie Logan, and Earl Wolff, will all either be starting or playing a significant role on a team that somehow went 10-6, hosted a playoff game last year, and is favored to win the NFC East this season.

The future for the Eagles looks to be pointing upward, but if my history with the Eagles draft picks has taught me anything it’s that at least 50% of the time I’ll be left feeling rage or disappointment after the commissioner announces the Eagles pick.  Thankfully though I’ll at least have Tanner to bicker and commiserate with once again.  And even if Roseman and Kelly trade 3 future firsts and Foles for Manziel, I’ll be parked on a couch watching the Eagles light the future on fire with someone who knows the pain I’ll be in.

No, The Sixers Aren’t the OMG Worst Professional Basketball Team Ever

Every two or three years the “could NBA team X beat the best team in college basketball” question is asked across the 32,000 different ESPN/SI platforms. For whatever reason people believe this is a legitimate debate to have, which in fact it is not. After 26 straight losses it’s the Sixers turn to be compared to college teams. So for anyone who at all questions if the Sixers are better than every college team here are the stats for the current Sixers in the final season of college basketball along with any accolades they collected along the way.  Spoiler alert!  The list is long.  Look over the list, then ask yourself if it is still a debate worth having. If your brain isn’t filled with pebbles you’ll come to the correct answer fairly quickly.

Name	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3FG%	FT%
Brandon Davies	17.7	8.0	2.4	1.3	1.0	52.20%	35.70%	68.20%
Arnett Moultrie	16.4	10.5	1.2	0.8	0.8	54.90%	44.40%	78.00%
Jarvis Varnado	13.8	10.3	0.9	0.7	4.7	58.20%	—	61.00%
Michael Carter-Williams	11.9	5.0	7.3	2.7	0.7	39.30%	29.40%	69.40%
James Anderson	22.3	5.8	2.4	1.4	0.6	45.70%	34.10%	81.00%
Byron Mullens	8.8	4.7	0.3	0.5	1.1	63.80%	—	55.90%
James Nunnally	16.0	5.9	2.8	0.7	0.3	47.00%	37.00%	79.60%
Henry Sims	11.6	6.0	3.5	0.9	2.0	46.20%	—	70.80%
Hollis Thompson	12.8	5.5	1.5	0.9	0.6	46.40%	43.00%	67.90%
Casper Ware	17.4	2.4	3.4	1.4	0.1	40.10%	35.60%	79.30%
Elliot Williams	17.9	4.0	3.8	1.3	0.1	45.90%	36.60%	75.80%
Tony Wroten	16.0	5.0	3.7	1.9	0.4	44.30%	16.10%	58.30%
Thaddeus Young	14.4	4.9	2.0	1.3	0.4	47.80%	41.90%	74.30%

Awards/Honors

• 2X 1st Team All WCC
• 1st Team All SEC
• All Time Division I Leader in Blocks
• 2X 1st Team All SEC
• 3X SEC Defensive Player of the Year
• SEC Single Season Blocks Leader
• Lefty Driesell Award (NCAA DPOY)
• SEC Tournament MVP
• AP All-American Honorable Mention
• All Big East 2nd Team
• 2nd Team AP All American
• 1st Team Big 12
• Big 12 Player of the Year
• 2X 2nd Team All Big 12
• Big 10 All Freshman Team
• Big 10 6th Man of the Year
• 2X All Big West 2nd Team
• 2X Big West Player of the Year
• 3X 1st Team All Big West
• 2X AP All American Honorable Mention
• All Pac 12 1st Team
• Pac 12 Freshman of the Year

Where Kevin Love Might End Up

Kevin Love Destinations

One of the bigger stories this off-season will be where Kevin Love will be playing basketball next season.  The most often discussed rumor to date is that he will finish out next season in Minnesota and then sign with the Lakers in 2015 when he can opt out of the last year of his contract.  The rumor makes sense for a myriad of reasons, but there are others out there that believe Love is open to playing for another team if they are a contender or have one all-star already in place to pair with him. With that belief has come the usual list of suspects like the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns as possible landing spots for the power forward.  Each team on the list has varying assets to offer the Wolves if they are forced to trade Love.  Here’s a brief breakdown on what each of the teams mentioned could offer.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls current assets include two mid first round picks in the 2014 draft, emerging power forward Taj Gibson (signed to a very reasonable contract for the next 3 years), the mysterious Nikoli Mirotic, Jimmy Butler, Carlos Boozer’s expiring contract, a Sacramento pick that MIGHT become a first round pick, and last year’s first round pick Tony Snell.  If Chicago offers their two first round picks and Taj Gibson is that going be enough to convince the Wolves to trade away arguably the best power forward in the NBA?

New York Knicks

I’m sure the Knicks are interested in acquiring Love.  Every team in the NBA is interested in acquiring Kevin Love.  But all the Knicks can really offer Love is a premier destination, which looks to be less and less important to players.  The Knicks have no real assets to offer the Wolves other than Tim Hardaway Jr. and Iman Shumpert.  Both are nice players, but neither look like future stars.  Maybe more importantly though is the Knicks’ front office is a colossus of fuck all. Just last night Tyson Chandler questioned whether or not he wanted any part of the Knicks future, and at this point besides more guaranteed money I don’t know why Anthony would stick around.  Jimmy Dolan can continue to dream, but unless he can black mail the entire league I don’t see how or why Kevin Love would continue his career in NYC.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are another premier destination, and where Love played his college ball.  I’m not totally sure, but I believe he even calls LA his home in the off-season.  The Lakers can certainly point to their history of success in the league, and Love would be in line to take the Lakers torch from Kobe in two seasons.  But for the Lakers to acquire Love this off season I have no idea what they can offer.  They can’t trade their 2014 first round pick, since they owe their 2015 pick to the Suns.  I guess a sign-and-trade involving Gasol is possible, but I doubt a Gasol north of 30 is all that desirable to the Wolves.  The Lakers best bet is acquiring Love through free agency in 2015.  At that point they could have a player like Joel Embiid, Bryant, a free agent from this off-season (the Lakers have around $25 million in cap room), and emerging point guard Kendall Marshall.

Off topic but worth saying, Marshall was traded to the Wizards in the Gortat trade just before the season started.  The Wizards promptly cut him and then had to give up future assets for a 60 year old Andre Miller, who is still owed another $5,000,000 next season.  Marshall meanwhile is 10X less of a cap hit, and is second in the league in assists per game.

Houston Rockets

Love would fit in perfectly with the Rockets.  He’d have Howard to cover for him defensively and would be shouldering less of the scoring load playing with Harden.  The Rockets will have some cap issues this summer, but do have some interesting pieces to offer the Wolves.  The have both Omar Asik and Jeremy Lin in the last year of their deals, Terrence Jones and the seldom used but promising Donatas Monteijunas still on their rookie contracts, Chandler Parsons, and a late 2014 first round pick.  Again though like with the Bulls, I’m not sure Terrence Jones, a non-lottery first round pick, and Chandler Parsons are enough for a top 10 player.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns are the surprise team this season, and look to have hired the best new coach in the league.  They also have young or in their prime players like the Morris twins, Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, Alex Len, Channing Frye, and Archie Goodwin along with a war chest of potential 2014 mid first round picks and a top 5 protected Lakers pick in 2015 to offer the Wolves.  Before getting injured Bledsoe looked like a future all-star and Dragic has made the league look silly for not including him on the all star team.  So both of them are significantly better than what any of the previously mentioned teams can offer.  However, the Wolves already have Ricky Rubio at point guard.  I’m of the belief that he’s at best the 12th best point guard in the league, but smarter NBA types may believe he still has a lot of room to grow, so making a point guard the centerpiece of the trade might not work.  But at the same time a package of Bledsoe, a Morris twin, and a couple of their first round picks would be the best haul yet.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are in rebuild mode currently, but do already have one all-star in point guard Rajon Rondo to pair with Love.  As far as assets they can offer the Celtics have Jeff Green and his somewhat unfavorable contract, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger, Avery Bradley (a restricted free agent), and enough future first round picks to field a football team.  The Celtics have two in 2014, which will likely be a top 5 selection and a mid first.  They have two more in 2015 plus either the pick outright or the ability to swap with Brooklyn for the next 4 years, along with Billy King’s soul, and oil plots across Eastern Europe.  If the Celtics offered their own first in 2014 plus Green and the Gerald Wallace contract would that be enough for the Wolves to bite?  Or Green and four future first round picks for Love?  The Wolves would have to at the very least think about it.  The Wolves don’t get an all-star in return like they would with Phoenix, but they would have considerable ammo for future drafts.

These same teams were discussed as possible Love destinations by Bill Simmons last week.  In addition to breaking down each team Simmons also gave odds for each team.  I encourage you to read it since he’s infinitely better at all of this than myself.  There are three teams Simmons didn’t mention though as possible trading partners with the Wolves.  Two of them make a world of sense to me,  and the third is more of a pipe dream.  So first the pipe dream.

Philadelphia 76ers

Shocking I know that I’d put the Sixers down as a landing spot for Love.  When Love’s name was first brought up like any nerdy NBA fan in between dates with supermodels I took to the trade machine to craft what was in my opinion a fair trade between the Sixers and Wolves.  Not surprisingly like most fans I overvalued the players the Sixers would be sending to the Wolves in my hypothetical trade.  Every trade scenario I came up with included Evan Turner as an attractive piece.  After the trade deadline though the reality became that Evan Turner’s value to the league was, to quote Jim Mora “diddly-poo.”  With Turner and Hawes both jettisoned the Sixers no longer have them to offer to the Wolves this summer.  Despite that though the Sixers do still have some assets like Thaddeus Young, Nerlens Noel, and the Pelicans 2014 pick.  Thanks to the Arnett Moultrie and Andrew Bynum trades the Sixers can’t trade their own first round pick even if they wanted too.  With that said trading the Pelicans’ pick and Thaddeus Young would clearly not be enough for the Wolves.  Trading Noel and the pick would defeat the whole purpose of acquiring Love since he’s a much better offensive player and Noel is the much better defensive player.  Even if the Wolves were drunk and willing to take back just Young and the Pelicans’ pick I’m not sure Hinkie would do it.  Hinkie would have no guarantee that Love would resign, and even with the addition of Love a Sixers core of MCW, Noel, Love, and Wiggins aren’t competing next season, even if they are in the Eastern Conference.  The Wolves are in the position they are in because Love wants to win now, which makes a whole lot of sense considering most of his contemporaries (Westbrook, Durant, Harden, Curry) are on competing teams.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs are in the midst of a Vinny Chase post Medellin kind of season.  Before the season started owner Dan Gilbert declared this would be the year the Cavs returned to the post-season.  The season started and the Cavs promptly dove into the toilet.  There have been rumors of infighting, panic trades, and most importantly a regressing and increasingly unhappy Kyrie Irving.  When Lebron left the NBA gods blessed the city of Cleveland with the opportunity to draft another franchise player in Irving.  Like Lebron Irving won ROY, looked to be a future All-NBA fixture, received lucrative endorsement deals, and now has begun to realize he’s playing for a front office that is as organized as a Ren and Stimpy episode.  Not to use another pop culture reference, but isn’t the Cavs situation beginning to feel a lot like Groundhog Day?

We’ve seen the Cavs in this situation before, just this time around the timeline has been accelerated and the results are even worse.  When Lebron’s free-agency was on the horizon Cavaliers management attempted a series of roster moves to improve the team hoping that their star would recognize the team was building something worth sticking around for.  Cavs management fudged the whole thing up though by never providing Lebron with a second all-star caliber player.  Over his last two seasons the Cavs brought a parade of mediocrity and over-the-hill players to Cleveland in hopes that they could aid Lebron.  Players like Mo Williams, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, Antawn Jamison, Donyell Marshall, and a one ass-cheek in the commentator chair Shaquille O’Neal.

Now five seasons later and on the brink of having another franchise player bolt town the Cavs have repeated the same mistakes, even bringing back Mike Brown as coach.  This time Grant and Cavs management screwed up a slightly different way by blowing early round picks on Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and last years first overall pick Anthony Bennett.  All of them could become nice complementary players, but none of them appear to be stars on the same level as Irving. Chris Grant followed up his mediocre drafting with free agent signings like Jarrett Jack, Andrew Bynum, and Earl Clark this off-season.  As of today only Jack remains, and that’s because the Cavs couldn’t unload his contract on another team.  Still seeing zero positive results the Cavs then traded future assets this season to add Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes to the roster.  While Deng is a nice player, he’s more of a fringe all-star than star and really isn’t capable of drastically improving the Cavaliers putrid offense.  Hawes is nothing more than another nice role player.  As of today Cavs own a .393 winning percentage this season, but thanks to the Poo Conference are only 3.5 games back from the opportunity to get swept out of the first round by the Pacers or Heat.

Now that my Cleveland diatribe is over back to the original point, which probably seems nuts to suggest now.  Maybe the Cavs only way of saving this Irving situation is by trading for Kevin Love.  As of now the Cavs are due to have around $13 million in cap space this summer, but that number can get as high as around $25 million if the Cavs decline to pick up the option on Anderson Varejao and Alonzo Gee.  The Cavs also have some intriguing assets they could trade for Love such as, their 2014 pick which should be in the late lottery, Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Luol Deng’s Bird rights, former late first round picks Tyler Zeller & Sergey Karasev, Miami’s 2015 first round pick, and Memphis’ 2015 first round pick that has some interesting protections on it.  The Memphis pick owed to the Cavs is protected 1-5 & 15-30 in 2015 and 2016, 1-5 protected in 2017 and 2018, and unprotected in 2019.  What that means though is the Cavs only get the pick from the Grizzlies if it is in the mid to late lottery over the next two years.  For the Cavs that’s a great protection to have while the Grizzlies are still a fringe playoff team.

For the trade to even be feasible the Cavs would need an Affleck-esque revival as well as convince Love to take a serious leap of faith with the direction of the Cavs.  Right now Cleveland looks like the second biggest gong show outside of Manhattan, so I imagine Love would be skeptical of things turning around in a hurry.  But a potential trade package of Bennett, Waiters, and two of the three first round picks the Cavs have in 2015 wouldn’t be a terrible collection of assets.  As for Cleveland, moving foward with a core of Irving, Love, a young 2014 free agent like Hayward or Bradley, and a 2014 lottery pick such as Gary Harris or Doug McDermott would get them in the Eastern Conference mix.

Utah Jazz

I think the Jazz are the best possible trade partner for the Wolves.  The Jazz have spent the last couple of seasons accumulating top picks who have started to perform well and look like they could turn into future all-stars.  The current problem is that they are in the Western Conference and they don’t have that one star to build the team around.  But they do have a collection of players that look like they could be members of a future championship contending team.  The Jazz could offer the Wolves some combination of Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, their 2014 first round pick that will most likely be in the top 7, and the Warriors 2014 first round pick.  The Jazz will also have a significant amount of cap space this summer to bring in a free agent.  Hayward is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, but I’m sure he could very easily be part of a sign and trade.  Could Hayward, Kanter, and the Warriors 2014 pick be enough?  Maybe.  Ideally the Jazz would want to pair Love with Favors, but the Wolves already have a more offense-minded big man in Pekovic, so I’m not sure Kanter would be a great fit in Minnesota.  But what if the Jazz offered their 2014 first round pick Burks and Kanter for Love?  That would give the Wolves two lottery picks and would give the Jazz a core of Favors, Love, Hayward, and Burke.  In my opinion that is a team that could compete out west.  As with any team that trades for Love the rub is that he could pull a Dwight and say goodbye after just one season.

This is somewhat silly to spend so much time thinking about now since there is still the last quarter of the season and the draft lottery ahead, but it’s fun to think about.  Personally, if Love isn’t going to be in Philly and commit to buying an apartment in Rittenhouse Square I hope he ends up in Chicago.  I think a team of Noah, Love, and Rose could do a lot of damage next season.  If the Bulls stop acting so cheap and amnesty Boozer they couldn’t even bring Deng back into the mix.  And if Rose can stay healthy they would have a seat at the big boy table with Miami and Indiana.

Andre Drummond Making Some History

The woes of the 2013/2014 Pistons has been discussed quite a bit this season.  They are now 13 games below .500 and are in the midst of a 4 game losing streak.  Coach Maurice Cheeks has already been fired.  GM Joe Dumars looks to be 23 games away from needing to update his resume, and rumors of Isiah Thomas being strongly considered as the next GM have started.  To make matters worse Dumars spent a significant amount of the team’s cap space in order to put together a roster that on paper looked questionable, and inept of the court.

But there are some positives coming out of this Joe Dumars NBA nightmare.  This summer the contracts of both Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stucky come off the books.  And on the court Andre Drummond has begun to fulfill the promise he showed in his rookie season.  While his offensive game is still raw, Drummond has already established himself as one of the five best rebounders in the league along with DeAndre Jordan, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, and DeMarcus Cousins.  In particular Drummond has been dominant on the offensive boards leading the NBA with 5.4 per game.  Through 59 games Drummond has collected 318 offensive rebounds, putting him on pace to finish with 443 this season.

If Drummond does stay on his current pace he will tie Jayson Williams’ 1997/1998 season for the 7th most offensive rebounds since the three-point era (1979/1980 season).  The only players who have collected more offensive rebounds in a single season are Dennis Rodman and Moses Malone.  In just his second season Drummond will have grabbed more offensive boards than Shaq, Olajuwon, or Barkley ever did in a single season.  Drummond would actually be only the second player since 2000 to grab at least 350 offensive rebounds in a season.  The only other person to do so was Elton Brand in 2001/2002.

Joe Dumars has many flaws as a GM, but his record in the draft is incredibly impressive and he appears to have scored another blue chip player in Andre Drummond.  Drummond has improved greatly from year one to year two and looks like he can be the best center in the Eastern Conference for the next decade. Now if Dumars could only take back the Josh Smith contract, find a way to keep Greg Monroe, trade Brandon Jennings, and get the team to suck just enough so that he can keep his first round pick (top 8 protected) in the loaded 2014 draft.

Updated Contenders Regular Season Round Robin Standings Through 2/2/2014

Oklahoma City Thunder (12-5)
Remaining Games: Clippers Rockets Spurs @Rockets @Clippers @Pacers

Indiana Pacers (7-3)
Remaining Games: Warriors @Rockets Heat Spurs @Heat Thunder

Miami Heat (7-3)
Remaining Games: @Rockets @Spurs Rockets Blazers @Pacers Pacers

Houston Rockets (7-7)
Remaining Games: @Clippers Heat Pacers Blazers @Thunder @Heat Clippers Thunder Spurs

Portland Trailblazers (8-9)
Remaining Games: @Rockets @Spurs Warriors @Heat Warriors Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers (6-10)
@Thunder Rockets Warriors @Rockets Thunder Blazers

Golden State Warriors (6-10)
Remaining Games: @Pacers @Clippers @Blazers Spurs @Spurs @Blazers

San Antonio Spurs (5-11)
Remaining Games: Heat Blazers @Warriors @Pacers Warriors @Thunder @Rockets

The Unsexy But Potential Value of 2nd Round Picks

And just like that the NBA trade deadline has come and gone.  I’m sure there are quite a few Sixers fans out there that are slightly disappointed all they got in return for their trade chips was a handful of second round drafts picks.  Many fans, myself included, had visions of the Sixers flipping Turner or Hawes for first round picks in the 2014 draft or young assets like a C.J. McCollum or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.  Trouble is in the NBA you need a second team willing to give up something substantial.  You can’t just push the the trade through like in NBA 2K Association Mode.

And then there are the few Sixers fans out there that upset that they traded away Turner and Hawes, with the belief that they are young and can still help turn this team around.  The trouble with that line of thought though is well documented.  Both guys are free agents at the end of the season, and more than likely another team will be willing to pay them more than the Sixers.  Teams have gotten smarter at the trade deadline, but for some reason that conservative approach hasn’t translated to roster decisions being made during the summer.  Just this summer Denver thought it was wise to give J.J. Hickson $5 million a year for three years.  So even if the Sixers held onto Turner and Hawes there was a good chance they would be overpaid by another team, and the Sixers would be left with the decision to let them walk for nothing or, as the case would be with Turner, match the potential albatross contract.

The market for Hawes and Turner just wasn’t there.  Maybe it would have been before the season began, such as when Phoenix dealt Gortat for a first round pick, but at this point it’s all in the past so there is no reason to dwell on it.

As of writing this there is still some discrepancy over whether the Sixers are getting back a 2014 2nd round pick from the Pacers or a 2015 2nd round pick.  For now lets assume the best and call it a 2014 2nd round pick.  With that pick the Sixers have now collected 6 2nd round draft picks in the upcoming draft.  They have their own pick, Cleveland’s pick, Memphis’ pick, Brooklyn’s pick, Houston’s pick, and Indiana’s pick.

There is almost no chance the Sixers use all of those picks.  Saying almost is actually not accurate.  The odds of the Sixers using all six picks is similar to the odds of the future NBC comedy Taxi-22 being a hit.  Here’s the log line:

The series centers on a misanthropic and politically incorrect NYC cab driver, and is based on the French Canadian hit series of the same title.

The only other stuff you need to know about the show is that it is going be uncomfortably racist (think Dads) and was dropped by HBO (you know, those people that continually make good television).

So even though the Sixers won’t use all the picks having this many gives the team a lot of options.  On draft day they can move some as a package to move up to the bottom of the first.  They could deal some for future picks.  They can draft an international player and stash him over-seas and still be able to draft someone else to participate right away. Or maybe they use four of them and trade two.

One person who’d applaud Hinkie’s strategy is former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl winning coach Jimmie Johnson.  Johnson used to amass as many picks as he could into the later rounds of the NFL Draft with the belief that more picks meant he had more chances to get one right.  The strategy worked out pretty well for Jimmie as he built a dynasty in Dallas through the 90s that caused adolescent Philly fans like myself to weep into their father’s arms after a MNF drubbing at the Vet on Halloween.  The wounds are still fresh 20 years later.

Another advantage of 2nd round picks was outlined exceptionally (shocker) by Zach Lowe last August.  To quickly summarize NBA teams have a lot more flexibility negotiating contracts with second round picks.  Teams also have a considerable amount of leverage over the player since they own his draft rights.  Lowe used the best recent example in Chandler Parsons, who agreed to a four year deal with the Rockets after he was drafted.  At the end of this season Parsons will have earned $2,664,750 over his first three years in the league.  The Robin Thicke lookalike is averaging 17 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while having a FG% over 50% and a 3FG% over 40%.  The only other players averaging at least 15 points per game while shooting 50%+ from the field and 40%+ from three are Goran Dragic and Kevin Durant.  Parsons is clearly more the exception than the rule when it comes to success for 2nd rounds picks, but that’s why you acquire multiple picks.  It means more chances of hitting on one of those lottery tickets.  And with the talk of how deep this upcoming NBA Draft will be there might be better odds of landing a solid starter.  But your second round pick doesn’t need to be Chandler Parsons to be considered a success.

Here’s a break down of notable 2nd round picks over the last ten years (2013-2004).  I’ve grouped them into three tiers, “Notable Starters/All-Stars”, “Solid Role Players”, and “9th/10th Man, But Have A Role.”  Feel free to argue with me about how I grouped the players in the comments.  Tanner I’m looking at you.

Notable Starters/All-Stars

Goran Dragic, Nikola Pekovic, Omar Asik, Marcin Gortat, DeAndre Jordan, Chandler Parsons, Marc Gasol, Isaiah Thomas, Paul Millsap, Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis, Anderson Varejao, and Lance Stephenson

Solid Role Players

DeJuan Blair, Trevor Ariza, Jae Crowder, Josh McRoberts, Chase Budinger, Danny Green, Khris Middleton, Louis Williams, Draymond Green, Amir Johnson, Mario Chalmers, Dante Cunningham, Patty Mills, Brandon Bass, Glen Davis, Ramon Sessions, and Patrick Beverly

9th/10th Men

Luc Mbah A Moute, Jodie Meeks, Kyle Singler, Andray Blatche, Landry Fields, Carl Landry, Marcus Thornton, Ronny Turiaf, Nate Wolters, Lavoy Allen, Isaiah Canaan, C.J. Miles, Jeremy Evans, Nando De Colo, and P.J. Tucker.

That’s a total of 37 players, and to be honest I might have missed a couple.  Those 37 players represent 12.4% of the 299 2nd round draft picks made over that time.  The Starters/All-Star group make up about 4.3% of the 299 2nd round picks.

The 2003 Draft, which this upcoming draft is being compared to in terms of depth, yielded the following 2nd round picks; Steve Blake, Kyle Korver, Willie Green, Mo Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Matt Bonner, James Jones, and Keith Bogans.  All of those guys are still in the league 11 years later.

With potentially 20% of the 2nd round in their control the Sixers will rely on their scouting department to find that 2nd round steal or two.  The draft is still months out, but if a majority of players expected to come out do some will fall into the second round.  Players like Chris Walker, one of the Harrison twins, Jahii Carson, or Greek Freak Part Deux could all be available for the Sixers to draft in the 2nd round.  Hinkie doesn’t strike me as a GM that isn’t thorough, so I’m guessing he’ll have scouts spread out across the country trying to unearth over-looked talent.  Hey they clearly hit on MCW, so the early track record is promising.  Lord knows Hinkie won’t need to scouting potential playoff match-ups.

When attempting to build a team one of the keys is positioning yourself to be as flexible as possible, since there is no guarantee a free agent will sign with you (Lebron and NYC) or the draft lottery will go your way (2007 Celtics).  And Hinkie has done a tremendous job in less than a year maximizing the flexibility of the Sixers.  At seasons end the Sixers will be armed with up to 8 picks in the 2014 draft (2 1st rounds 6 2nd rounds), hopefully the 2013/2014 ROY, another high lottery selection in Nerlens Noel, a remaining trade chip in Thad Young, and around $25 or $26 million in cap room.  With all of those assets the Sixers will have the opportunity to draft near the top of a talented 2014 draft twice, sign a quality free agent like Greg Monroe, trade a handful of the collected assets for someone like Kevin Love if he becomes available, take on expiring salary for more future assets like the Jazz did this past off-season, or some combination of those options.

Being patient sucks.  I think the world is against me if I get stuck behind someone at the gas station.  The next two months of the Sixers’ season are going be brutal, but in the end I believe it will all be worth it.  In the meantime start collecting good JuJu for the SIxers at the NBA Draft Lottery.

The terms of the Pacers trade were released.  The 2nd round pick will be in 2015.