In Memoriam - Ann Hoffman: A full life, full of love

As I type now, it's been exactly a week - about 3 pm last Monday - since my phone rang and my dad, calm as could be, told me his mother had passed. People have asked me all week how I'm doing and I want to take this space to quickly say "thank you." I've got some pretty amazing friends who have kept me occupied and checked in on me throughout the week, and I certainly don't take that for granted. With that said, starting with that phone call from my dad, I've largely been okay and after a weekend with my family I realize why.

That's just who we are. We're an absurd bunch who doesn't like to waste time being sad, mad or upset. Look at me. You think this happened by accident? We like to have fun and my grandmother was certainly the matriarch of the Hoffman clan. I don't know how common a graveside service filled with laughter is, but we had one and we had one because that's what she would have wanted. She just would have wanted it in warmer weather.

This is the fourth time I've sat down to write this week. The first time was immediately following that phone call. It was cathartic. It was emotional. The same words I broke down writing last Monday eventually turned me into an absolute mess Friday as we said goodbye. The second time was Wednesday in preparation for my dad delivering a speech on my behalf at her memorial service in Florida. 

A quick note on that service - there were 250 people there. No more than 20 of them knew her before she moved to Florida. She moved to Florida when she was 70 in 2001. Any questions how my sister became a social butterfly?

The third time I wrote was late Thursday night. It was the speech I gave the next day at her funeral and it came back to the same ending I had when I wrote on Monday. I cried again. I'm giving you fair warning that I'm ending what's below with it as well, and there's a good chance you will too. Friday's speech was a shaping of the thoughts I originally wrote Monday as well as some things that had stuck with me throughout the week. The following is a conglomeration of all three, in memoriam of my grandmother, Ann Hoffman, who lived one hell of a life, defined by love.

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Writing comes easy to me. "Your paper was a joy to read" was a comment I got on papers throughout my academic career, even if the second part of the phrase was "but you're missing half the information" written next to a giant C. I've written a lot. Meaningful things. Funny things. Entertaining things. Informative things. I can never remember struggling so mightily with writing something as what I would say Friday. How on earth do you sum up what a woman who lived an incredibly full life and was someone you loved dearly in an even moderately concise manner?

This may sound dumb but my biggest struggle was what to actually write about. At this point grandma would tell me "you're not dumb!" Thanks grandma. Although at times I'm pretty sure I qualify.

The more and more I thought about it the more and more I thought the best thing to do is pass along some of the lessons she taught me because they are some of the most important lessons I've learned in my life. When you think about a grandmother teaching her grandson you think of a small child sitting on her lap receiving wisdom straight out of a movie scene. That wasn’t how I learned. It was merely by following her example, even if I didn’t realize I was doing it.

It's really a miracle I got to learn anything from her though. It's a true miracle she made it this long. It's somewhat a miracle I made it this long because I'm pretty sure we almost died simultaneously, not in a car wreck or some tragic accident. No, instead when less than one year old me was sitting atop 6'1" father's shoulders and decided to grab his glasses. Of course his reaction was to grab them too, which meant he was no longer holding me. So I fell. Head first. I'll pause as you all simultaneously say, "that explains a lot." She witnessed the whole thing. She showed a lot of resilience that day not having a heart attack on the spot and since she didn't, not beating her son to a pulp. Guess I know where I get my resilience from. Some non-inherited lessons:

Grandma taught me to learn. She learned something new every day. Sometimes I was lucky enough to teach her. It was often about technology, making the irony of me reading her funeral speech off an iPad incredible because there is a zero percent chance she could use one. In fact I think I showed her mine when she came to Dallas recently and it was the first time instead of "teach me," I heard “oh okay” when she asked what it was. She was always thirsty for knowledge. She wanted to learn, but more importantly she wanted to understand. So many of us float through life without asking why. I can still hear Grandpa saying, “why’d you do dat?!” and Grandma certainly wasn’t afraid to ask why either.

Grandma taught me to experience the world. To the detriment of my bank account, I certainly shared her passion to travel, but going somewhere isn’t enough. You have to experience it. When I’d ask about her trips, it wasn’t merely “we went to Venice.” She’d describe the sites and the sounds and the smells and of course the tastes. That’s how you do it, whether you’re going across the street or across the world. Soak it in. I was so lucky to get to experience some of the world with her and see the joy she took in it.

But most of all, Grandma taught me to love. Every iteration of what I wrote in the past week revolved around one word: love. That’s what she was about. She loved you and was proud of you and let you know to the point where in your head you were going: “Holy crap! I’m not THAT awesome!”

The other thing I kept coming back to was the speech I’ve often gone to more often than anything else for inspiration. Jim Valvano was fighting cancer as he stood at the podium of the 1993 ESPY awards and left not a dry eye in the room. As he wrapped up he spoke of the disease that was ravaging his body and said, “Cancer can take away my physical abilities, but it cannot touch my mind. It cannot touch my heart. It cannot touch my soul.” Jimmy V’s battle was with a horrid disease that ended up taking his life, but the quote applies to so much more. We all have our struggles, but we are in control of what goes on in our minds, our hearts and our souls.

I thought of how this quote applied to my relationship with grandma. Mind. Heart. Soul. Age had certainly begun to take away her physical abilities and quite frankly mentally she wasn't quite as consistently quick as she always was in recent years, but man when she pulled a fastball it still came in at 100 miles per hour. Age certainly had not touched her heart. It still loved like no one I've ever known, but she confided in me more than once that it still ached for grandpa. Forget dying, that love hadn't even diminished. Not one bit. The thought that they could be back together gives me great peace. That leaves her soul which even death cannot touch. Because if we are smart and if we at all care about making the world a better place to live like she did every single day, her soul will live on in all of us. Of that we should always be conscious and for that, we should forever be grateful.

I don’t know if there was a turning point; perhaps I had heard a story somewhere or read one or whatever it was, but I’ve never been afraid to say those three little words: I love you. It’s such a simple thing to me. If you mean it, say it and I make it a point to with those closest to me.

It’s never a throw away, but if you mean it, then why not tell someone and part of the reason why is some irrational fear that if that’s the last time you talk to them, what’s the last thing you would’ve told them? I talked to grandma last weekend and the conversation was our typical catch-up. We talked about what I was up to and how work was going and my upcoming trip to New York. I tried to be really good in our weekly chats about asking what she was up to, but this time we talked about some current events - concussions in football in fact, something she wanted to ask me about (for the record she was very happy I never played!) But I forgot to ask her what she was up to with her insane social calendar, but I sure as hell didn't forget to say “I love you" before we hung up the phone. That was the last thing I said to her. I love you. And now as we say goodbye again for now, that’s really all I wanted to say through all of this thinking and writing all along - Grandma, I'll miss you. Thank you for being exactly who you were. I love you, and I always will.

Tiger Woods Not DQ'd

Golf is an uptight, self-righteous sport in so many ways. Most sports are played in shorts or pants and a shirt designed to maximize performance. Golf is played in khakis and a polo. Anybody can pick up a basketball and find a hoop. Anybody can get a football or baseball and have a catch with their buddy. Golf is expensive as hell. It's literally a country club sport.

This self-righteous culture is often actually good for the game. I promise I'm trying my best not to be cynical. A young person playing the game can learn valuable lessons about honor and integrity. Self-policing is part of golf and you could very easily sub my "self-righteous" for "responsible." This weekend we've seen both the worst this responsible/self-righteous culture can show in a penalty on a teenager and at the same time that the game is progressing in the ruling with Tiger Woods.

For those that don't know - Tiger's approach shot on the 15th hole Friday hit the flag stick and careened into the water. He then took a drop just behind his original shot. The rules are dense but what you need to know is that for the drop option Tiger chose, you're supposed to drop as close to the original spot as possible. Tiger admitted in his post-round interview that he dropped about two yards back for a better distance. This isn't directly why Tiger wound up almost getting DQ'd and did receive a two stoke penalty.

Because he took an illegal drop, Woods should have assessed himself a penalty. Because he didn't, he then had an incorrect scorecard and signing an incorrect scorecard is grounds for disqualification. In 2012, there was a new rule added that if someone calls in a rules violation they see on television that a player was unaware of that caused an incorrect scorecard, the player is assessed a two stroke penalty and not DQ'd. This was applied to Tiger and this is where things get messy.

First and foremost, the fact that some buffoon at home can call in a rules violation is a joke. Could you imagine in other sports if this was the case? You think those calls in the Syracuse/Michigan game would've stood up? Hell no! My tail would've been on the phone screaming bloody murder about the block/charge call and how the officials screwed it up. But this is golf! The sport so obsessed with the rules that a gentleman's agreement to enforce them to the best of his knowledge just isn't good enough. You need Harry at home with his rulebook and likely his rotary phone.

When you get down to it though, the decision is controversial and I fully understand that. The rule was put in place because HD has made it possible to see violations that we didn't know previously existed such as blades of grass moving. Again, the fact that this constitutes some violation is absurd, but roll with me. The spirit of the TV rule that permits a temporarily incorrect scorecard wasn't put in place for a player who was ignorant of the rules like Woods apparently was here. So how does the Masters justify it? Perfectly.

The rules officials got a call from some schmuck and looked at Tiger's drop while he was still on the course. They ruled the drop was good enough and that no penalty should have been assessed. It wasn't until Tiger's post-round interview where he said he dropped it purposely two yards back that they re-visited the drop and determined that something was amiss. So, in other words: it took television for them to realize there had been a violation. It wasn't a replay like the rule had been designed for, but an interview that doesn't happen if not for TV.

Is it a stretch? Maybe. But it feels right to me. The rules of golf are horribly confusing and if an official on the course and officials in the clubhouse didn't determine that he had broken a rule until he admitted it after the round than can you blame Woods for being a little confused? And for those screaming that Woods should withdraw: get over yourselves. "It's the right thing to do!" Nick Faldo went as far as to say it's the "manly" thing to do.

1) Have you seen the pants some of these dudes wear? "Manly" isn't exactly the adjective that first jumps to mind when I think about golf. Good work Faldo.

2) Do you really think one of the fiercest competitors in the history of earth who also has an incredible respect for the game and it's history would blatantly admit to and brag about violating the rules and getting away with it?! Hell. To. The. No.

Is ignorance an excuse? In this case yes. The rules of golf are comparable to the rules of the NCAA. They're way too dense for any human to memorize and while this seems pretty simple, remember Woods had three choices of what to do on a drop. He mixed up two of them. Big deal. What's the penalty? Strokes? Yes. Disqualification? No. That would have been for signing the incorrect scorecard. So in the end you wind up just tacking on the penalty and Woods plays on. Sounds like a logical conclusion to me and good on the USGA for doing just that.

Final Four Primer

This week has been one of the craziest of my life. In the past 36 hours alone I've driven from Kansas to Texas with a pitstop for Spurs/Thunder in OKC, met my new PD, seen my new station, spent an entire day looking for apartments and slept for maybe 3.5 hours. For those that know my sleep schedule, I don't do 3.5 hours of sleep! I'm happy to finally have a minute to write though and with not much time left to do this before the games tomorrow night, here's your Final Four primer.

How'd they get here?

Syracuse

• The Orange got embarrassed and bruised egos propelled Cuse all the way to Atlanta. SU was horrible down the stretch culminating with a blowout loss at Georgetown. This team doesn't have fantastic leadership but it has top flight talent and top flight talent comes with egos. A bruised ego is a hell of a motivating factor and the Cuse turned around their offensive slump thanks to hot shooting from James Southerland, attacking aggression from Brandon Triche and good decision making from Michael Carter-Williams. The defense never really left despite the losses but it's gotten even better in the tournament. The Orange have forced more turnovers than field goals allowed. That's my favorite stat of 2013 and it's not even close.

Michigan

• Point guard Trey Burke has been sensational all year and now he's getting help from freshman Mitch McGary inside making the Wolverines almost impossible to guard. Michigan has run a ton of pick-and-roll in this tournament though and you can't really do that against a zone. That Burke/McGary pick-and-roll has opened up the shooters and with all five starts capable of scoring, Michigan's the most potent offensive team in the tournament.

Wichita State

• Timing is everything and Wichita State picked it's game with #1 Gonzaga in the round of 32 to have it's best shooting stretch of the year from deep. They basically didn't miss from 3 in the second half including some prayers late in the shot clock and there's nothing the Zags could do. They play their game which is in the half-court with nasty defense and it's worked like a charm.

Louisville

• Louisville has gotten here by obliterating people. The only "close" game was the regional final against Duke. The Blue Devils played it close for a half before the Ville did exactly what they did to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament final and turned up the heat. They've gotten exceptional guard play and Gorgui Dieng has held down the fort inside. We've said all year there is no dominant team, but for the last month Louisville has been just that. 

Keys to the games

Louisville vs Wichita St

This game is all about pace. If the Cardinals can speed Wichita State up, the Shockers don't stand a chance. WSU needs to make this a lower numbered possessions game and hope that Louisville's guard throw away one too many. Peyton Siva and Russ Smith have been almost unbelievably good this tournament, yet their larger body of work provides a blueprint to beat them: turn them over. Both guys can be turnover prone at times and Smith takes some horrific shots that might as well be turnovers.

The key for Wichita State is to make both Smith and Siva into jump shooters and hope each has a bad night. Louisville just needs to play it's game and the Cardinals play Monday night. Turn up the press, get to the rim and create organized chaos that's not so organized for the opponent.

Syracuse vs Michigan

This game is about discipline for Syracuse and managing the moment for Michigan. If SU can continue to challenge everything from the perimeter like they have been through the tournament season, Nik Stauskas won't go 6-6 from three like he did against Florida. Michigan has shooters all over the place so it's important that SU's rotations are on point.

Michigan's offense has been largely predicated on the pick-and-roll with Trey Burke and Mitch McGary over the past 4 games and the result has been huge numbers for both and 4 wins. You can't run a pick-and-roll against a zone though so it'll be interesting to see how John Beilein attacks the 2-3. He certainly has experience doing it from his years at West Virginia. He's 0-9 against Boeheim but never had a player at WVU as good as Burke. If Burke penetrates, everything else breaks down. SU has to hope Burke's lack of size causes him problems against the extreme length of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche.

The last part to Cuse's plan is finishing possessions. McGary's a very good and relentless offensive rebounder and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glen Robinson III are super athletic wings who will crash the glass. The Orange has to rebound as extra possessions for Michigan is a death wish.

The other end of the floor is pretty simple. Triche needs to stay aggressive. Carter-Williams has to be careful against Burke not to get picked and I'd expect a lot of Brandon Triche bringing the ball up the floor. Get into the offense. Attack the rim. Kick out to Southerland and Fair and SU's offense is just fine.

If Michigan, with it's four freshmen starters, can do the things I listed above they'll have a great shot to win. If the moments too big and they force threes, John Beilein will be 0-10 against Jim Boeheim.


Prediction:

My heart says Cuse wins it all, completing the revenge tour Monday night against Lousiville. This would mean in the tournament season, SU beat Georgetown, Marquette and the Cardinals all whom beat SU in the regular season and in Louisville's case for the Big East Championship. My eyes tell me the Cardinals win it all.

If you've seen my bracket, that means Michigan will win. If Wichita State wins I give up forever.

Random Rumblings - 4/5/13

I can't remember a Final Four week quite like this. Normally we spend the entire week breaking down the games and learning the stories of the players, or if you follow the sport hearing the same stories you've heard all year be told all over again. This week the talk about the games had been at a minimum thanks to two bombshell stories in college hoops.

Mike Rice out at Rutgers

The video of now former Rutgers coach Mike Rice throwing basketballs at his players and verbally abusing them is horrifying on many levels. Let's strip away the context for a moment. What on earth possesses you to think that's an acceptable way to treat another human being? Sports are emotional and when the testosterone gets flowing, there's no limit to stupidity however that's no excuse for how he acted. Add back in the context that a college coach should be a leader of young men and a positive influence and it becomes more disgusting.

A name that's not being brought up in this situation is Tyler Clementi. "Who?" you ask. Clementi was the gay Rutgers student who committed suicide after being bullied. This was a chance for Rutgers to prove they're serious about anti-bullying and anti-homophobic words and actions and they screwed the pooch royally by not firing Rice immediately the first time around. The fact that it took for the video becoming public for Rice to lose his job more than justifies everyone involved in that initial decision being shown the door with him.

For more reaction on the Rice situation here's CitrusTV's Kevin Barry and Chris Lewis from Atlanta:




Pac-12 Officiating

The other controversy is over Pac-12 supervisor of officials Ed Rush making comments that potentially changed Arizona's season. Rush told officials that if they T'd up Wildcats coach Sean Miller, they'd be rewarded. He said he was joking. Many in the room said they didn't think he was. What Rush doesn't seem to understand is that perception is reality and there's no doubt his words effected the officials on the court who must stay in his good graces to get the best games. By many accounts Rush is a bully. Also worth noting:

Ed Rush ran NBA officiating during some of the most dubiously reffed NBA playoff games ever (1998-2003). And now... cbsprt.co/Yrsvae
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 1, 2013

Rush resigned but I don't think this story is over yet.

The Injury

Everyone now knows who Kevin Ware is, the Louisville guard suffered a gruesome broken leg against Duke. A few things.

1) The replay shouldn't be shown on television ever. There's zero reason to show it. I'm one of those people who gets queazy and squeamish with injuries like that and I saw it live. I was petrified of going on the internet all week for fear someone would post it. There's no reason to show it at all. If someone wants to see it for whatever reason they can find it online. Simply saying "his leg snapped" is enough for the story.

2) For as bad as this injury looked, it's actually "not that bad" when you look at the long term prognosis. Easy for me to say. Doctors say Ware's injury (a compound fracture) should heal completely somewhere between 6 months and a year. Since it was a clean break (actually breaks), they stick a rod in his leg and reset the bone. It heals back and he rehabs and he goes. There's no lingering effects unlike when you're talking about ligaments and such in the joints.

3) Louisville is making shirts for this weekend at the players request to honor Ware. They are selling them. This is making a lot of people mad. I'm not one of them. The university waived all royalties which I actually think was too much. Louisville is paying Ware's medical bills so if they make a little coin off the injury then fine. Adidas is making the shirts so they deserve to get their cut just like any other shirt. In fact this isn't unprecedented territory as similar campaigns have been done for Adidas pro athletes Derrick Rose and Robert Griffin III. The only B.S. part of this to me is that Ware won't make anything and can't thanks to the NCAA. If I was a Cardinal fan, I'd want to buy this shirt so I have zero problem with its existence. It's just a shame that Ware won't see a cut of it directly.

4) By Louisville waiving the royalty, they are acknowledging the shirt is in honor of Ware. This likely will show up in the O'Bannon vs NCAA lawsuit about the NCAA benefitting of using player likenesses to make money. It should. Amateurism is a sham. The system is dying. Hopefully it kicks the bucket soon.

5) For more on how Louisville has handled the Ware injury, here's Kevin Barry in Atlanta:


Can we just play ball?

Based on all of what's above, you'd think this would be about all the superflous crap that's happened this week and has distracted and detracted from the games. It's not. It's about my experience at the Thunder/Spurs game Thursday night.

From the opening tap to the final buzzer, with the exception of free throws, there was noise in that arena. I'm not talking about the tremendous fans who love their team with a fierce loyalty like few fanbases in the NBA. No, I'm talking about the constant sound effects, manufactured cheers and music that were literally non-stop during the game. It was almost unbearable. You know what makes the "de-fense" chant cool? When it happens organically. When the home team needs a big stop and the crowd unites as one to root on their team. You know when it's not cool? Every single possession.

I don't know who decided in the course of NBA history that a giving a soundboard to someone and saying "if this isn't playing sound, you're fired" was a good idea, but that person isn't my favorite. You know what sounds I want to hear at a basketball game? The ball. Sneakers. Players. Coaches. Fans. That's about it. Notice how referees are not included.

Sunday night is ladies night

I've told you all year how great the UConn vs Notre Dame rivalry is and they play again for a fourth time in the Final Four Sunday night. This is your final reminder to watch it. 8:30 est on ESPN.

Michael Roth on Rice, Rutgers

My buddy Michael Roth joins me to talk about the culture of communication in athletics. Michael is a professional pitcher in the Los Angeles Angels organization and a 2-time College World Series Champion at the University of South Carolina. I uh...have a job.

My recording equipment pooped the bed so we went Google hangout style. Enjoy.

The End of Funemployment

All good things must come to an end, especially when it's your unemployment status. As stupid as that may sound, the last 3 months were a tremendous learning experience and allowed me to do some things that I'll likely never be able to do again in my life. I'll touch on more of those in a second, but in the interest of not burying the lead, the good news:

I've accepted a part-time with ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas. I will be doing everything from hosting on nights and weekends to local Sportscenter updates during our local and network programming to original podcasts for ESPNDallas.com to some off-air work. It's an absolutely amazing opportunity with my dream company. Everybody knows the affinity I have for ESPN as a company thanks to the number of people who have helped me over the years and my experience there as an intern. This is one of the four owned and operated affiliates meaning I'm actually working for ESPN. Seriously, Mickey Mouse is on my paycheck.

When I went back to Newhouse in February, I talked to a number of classes about networking. This job is a direct result of the networking excursion I took in January. While in Bristol I met with a man named Rob Savinelli from the talent office who suggested I meet with Tim McCarthy in New York. Tim suggested I reach out to Tom Lee, the program director in Dallas. Tom and I talked and while he had nothing at the time, he certainly helped me look elsewhere and gave me feedback. He then had something open up. We talked. He's now my boss.

What you're probably wondering is "wait...you did all that without a Syracuse connection?! I didn't think that was possible because a) it's you and b) you went through 3+ people in the media industry and that's not mathematically possible." The person who introduced me to Rob? His boss. Laurie Orlando, SU alumnus. Go Orange.

To my younger friends who may be reading this: network and do it when they don't need you and when you don't need them. It didn't matter if I was happily employed, Tom is someone I would've wanted to talk to. I did need him and even though he didn't have anything, he was willing to talk. A few weeks later, circumstances changed and here we are. I couldn't be more excited to work for Tom because I know he wants to see me get better. He and his team are going to coach me which is something I've wanted at this level on a day-to-day basis since I graduated. This excites me far more than being on the air in a top 5 market.

This 3 month period taught me a lot and allowed me to do a lot. I learned a lot about financial responsibility and planning. When "do I have enough for rent?" is a real question, you don't have much of a choice. Luckily the answer was always yes. I got to travel and spend time with people in a fashion that I never would be able to if I was in school or employed. I got 3 weeks in New York. I got 2 weeks in Syracuse. Those trips were amazing and I'm so glad I got to take them.

I got to work on stories and write in a way that I wanted to. There are no editors (except that time Professor Nicholson called me and reminded me I can't spell) and there are no rules. It's how I want to express my opinions and my take. It's seeing a story like who the hell is this Marshall Henderson dude and going with it because I can. It's a journalistic innocence that can't be found anywhere else. I wasn't being graded. I wasn't being dictated to or constrained. It was just fun.

What I'll remember most about this period in my life though is not something I learned or somewhere I got to go. It's something I was reminded of and that's just how good people are. It's not hard to find the worst of society. Go to any website and scroll through the comments section. Go on Twitter. Go to a Rutgers basketball practice.

Throughout the past three months though, I've seen the best in people. It started immediately with so many members of my actual family, my JPZ/AER/SU family and other people I've met along the way reaching out with support. It was Matt Llewelyn reaching out and saying if I needed anything from a meal to a job, he was here for me. I told him I'd meet him for lunch and I've spent the past 3 months working for him which is how the answer to "do I have enough for rent?" was always yes. I also have a totally new appreciation for the the restaurant industry, something every human being who's ever eaten in one should have.

It was my friends in Syracuse who put me up during my stay or perhaps more accurately in some cases (hi Corey, who's office was my suitcase storage facility) put up with me. Oh and yes Fitz, you can have special recognition because you stepped up big time and lord knows you love the attention.

Saving the best for last I cannot thank my family enough. My parents who were there for me on the worst days, never lost faith and always gave me what I needed, whether that be support or a reality check (i.e. I'm going apartment hunting this weekend and not to the Final Four...thanks Mom...kinda). My grandparents who put me up in New York for nearly a month and would have let me stay longer if my parents didn't make me come home. My aunts, uncle and cousins who would check in and see how things were doing and if I needed anything. You guys are awesome. I don't know how you go about classifying "the best family in the world" but I know I wouldn't trade you for anyone else.

Last but not least, I want to thank you. I have no idea who "you" are but you've found your way here. I launched this site to initially announce my unemployment which was on December 7th. It's now April 4th and nearly 7500 people have read and listened to what I've had to say. I remember the first post I did and seeing the hit count start to climb and going "woah, I have an audience." In my industry, having that audience is everything. It was that tiny bit of affirmation that despite my employment status, I was doing something right.

This site will obviously be scaled back now that I'll have real work to do. There will be at least one more podcast that I'm hoping to do tonight. There will be blogs this weekend on the Final Four and thanks to Heather Prusak they'll be supplemented with the great work by CitrusTV, who is in Atlanta. Past that, this will be an outlet for me to talk about things outside of Dallas and maybe a few in. So until next time, thanks for reading, thanks for supporting me and I can't wait to get started on what's next.

Craig

Random Rumblings: 4/1/13

With this much basketball you knew I couldn't stay quiet for long. No delay, let's talk hoop.

Cuse to the Final Four

I've written a few stories in the last week about SU over at Orange Fizz but one thing I didn't write on is how to a certain extent the Orange making it to Atlanta isn't a surprise. Both Jay Williams and Stephen Bardo told me in the middle of Syracuse's slide that SU was still a Final Four caliber team and I was right there with them. It sounds crazy, but the talent has always been there.

What is surprising is that the Orange put it together. I still don't think this team has particularly great leadership, but sometimes you don't need it. Instead of a leader rallying them, Syracuse's super talented players had their egos hurt and embarrassment is a powerful motivating factor. It happened at the perfect time culminating with Georgetown beating the $#&% out of them to close the regular season. They re-grouped and went into the Big East Tournament where momentum picks up quickly thanks to playing a game every day. James Southerland got hot. Brandon Triche found himself. Michael Carter-Williams stopped losing the basketball. Baye Moussa-Keita started being impactful. These four things haven't stopped and here we are with the Orange in the Final Four.

You could make a really good argument that if not for a freak injury to Arinze Onuaku and a bizarre suspension to Fab Melo, this would be Syracuse's third Final Four in four years. I think there are two pretty distinctive reasons why and you can read more at Orange Fizz.

Kansas is home

Logistics say I'll have a few Kansas fans click on this link so I might as well dissect why Kansas is not preparing to play SU on Saturday. Before the season, Bill Self said Elijah Johnson's attitude and approach would determine the outcome of his team's season. Weeks later Johnson was suspended for the start of the team's first pre-season game for being late to a class.

Elijah Johnson is a very good basketball player and I enjoyed covering him. I always found him thoughtful and there's no questioning his commitment to his team. However if he's your senior leader who's also playing out of position as your point guard, you're living on the edge of being a Final Four team. That's what Kansas was this season.

Coming down the stretch Kansas ran "the play" multiple times to no success. For those not familiar, "the play" is the one Mario Chalmers hit a three on to send the 2008 national championship game to overtime where Kansas eventually won. Michigan shut down the handoff and denied Ben McLemore on the flare screen. This left Bill Self needing another option and he decided to run a high pick and roll with Johnson and Jeff Withey.

Elijah took a bad angle off the screen. He was way too wide and that's why he wound up under the basket, throwing a cross court pass to Nadir Tharpe who needed a miracle 3 to go down to win it. It's almost as if Johnson forgot the score because he looked to have a layup for the tie. There's no doubt he had a floater, albeit at an awkward angle thanks to the bad angle off the screen, and he also could have forced the issue and created contact. With Jeff Withey rolling hard to the rim in good rebounding position, either would have been a good option. Why didn't he? There's no telling what was going through his head after some key mistakes down the stretch.

As a senior leader point guard Elijah dribbled into a trap and turned it over. He then inexcusably didn't get the ball across halfcourt on a 10 second violation. Then with 12.6 seconds to go he missed the front end of a one-in-one allowing Trey Burke's long distance three to go down. After that many mistakes, anyone's going to have a messed up head. It all lead to another bad play, the end of Kansas's season and the end of Elijah's career.

What's next?

Kansas loses a lot but will be loaded next year. Ben McLemore should declare for the NBA now. Ideally he'd stay and become more consistent with his shot and more importantly develop an off the dribble game. The reality is he needs to get his money now. His mom needs a house where the heat works ASAP and his entire family shouldn't go through another winter with him capable of making millions now. His stock is as high as it could get thanks to his uber potential and a weak draft even though another year of college would make him a better player. Any Kansas fan who thinks he should stay is selfish.

On top of McLemore, Kansas loses Johnson, Withey, Kevin Young and Travis Releford aka their entire starting lineup. They also might lose Rio Adams to a transfer. However back comes Nadir Tharpe who was exceptional in the second half of the year. He'll be joined in the backcourt by freshmen Wayne Seldon and Bill Self's got 3 other 4 star recruits coming in. The Jayhawks are also still alive for #1 player in the country Andrew Wiggins who's flat out nasty. Also back is Perry Ellis who developed into an offensive machine in the back half of the year. I think he could be an All-American next year.

Love for the ladies

Louisville's upset of #1 seed Baylor was monumental. It was bigger than the only time a #16 has beat a #1 when Harvard beat Stanford in 1998. That Stanford team had a number of key players injured late and thus shouldn't have been a 1-seed while the Harvard team was underseeded and shouldn't have been a 16. This Baylor team had everyone back from a national title team last year including arguably the most dominant player in the history of women's college basketball in Britney Griner. They were 75-1 favorites in this game. What that leaves us with is a weird setup for the Final Four.

On one side of the bracket is what's left after Baylor and the other 1-seed Stanford went down. This was also a huge upset but not nearly as big of an upset as Baylor. Cal punched their ticket tonight and the other regional final puts Tennessee against Louisville. The other side of the bracket has UConn, in it's 6th straight Final Four, against the winner of Notre Dame and Duke also known as Notre Dame.

I've written about the three classic battles ND and UConn have had this year and it's a shame that the 4th meeting won't be for a title. I want to be made about them being on the same side of the bracket but Baylor earned the #1 overall seed in the regular season and thus avoiding teams number 2 and 3 until the national final. Those two teams are the Irish and Huskies and this is what we're left with. With Baylor out of the picture, whoever survives that game will be the definitive favorite Tuesday night to win the title. Perhaps their biggest fight will be against fatigue as they'll be exhausted after battle royale #4. Either way I'll be glued to a TV Sunday night ready to see these two duke it out again...assuming Duke doesn't mess it up.

Life Update

Big announcement coming later this week. Don't wanna say more yet. But I will soon. I'm not exactly the patient type. Stay tuned.

Marshall Henderson

Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson makes plenty of noise however the noise coming back at him may be louder. According to many the reason why is the same reason so many hate Ohio State's Aaron Craft despite the fact that the two couldn't be more different. Both are white, and that (incorrectly) seems to give fans the mental liberty to say things they otherwise might not. Henderson's bravado certainly don't act as a soothing mechanism though and even his coach admits there's a bit of crazy in his eyes. 

So just who is Marshall Henderson?

Tourney Preview Podcast

The podcast (featuring Alex Brewer):



The Bracket:

The Ultimate Tourney Primer

The other night I had what I think is a pretty good idea. Give one fact on every game in the tournament. It's part a challenge for me because I'm doing this with what I know,  and little to no further research (only valid research is stats to supplement an already known nugget). I'm writing this intro before starting so there's no promises you get something insightful but I've watched a ton of hoops this year and think for 32 first round games I can probably come up with something. Think of this as a guide for your average college hoops fan to sound smart as they watch the games with their buddies because I have no friends and watch way too much basketball.

Midwest Region:

1 Louisville vs 16 Liberty/North Carolina A&T

• Louisville is the top overall seed thanks to their demolition of Syracuse in the Big East Tournament final.  The game turned in the 2nd half when the Cardinals turned up the press which is their biggest weapon. It allows them to score in bunches which is important because they can struggle offensively when the game slows down.
• BONUS: Liberty is the reason the NCAA needs to change the rules for conference tournaments. If the tournament champions are going to get the automatic bids, you can't let every team in the conference tournament. Liberty lost 20 games playing in the Big South and has zero business being in the tournament. The regular season has to mean more.

2 Duke vs 15 Albany

• Duke is my pick to win it all because I think they're the most stable team. They're going to defend and they have multiple scoring options in seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee as well as freshman Rasheed Sulaimon

3 Michigan State vs 14 Valporaiso

• The Spartans have one of the best backcourts in the country in junior Keith Appling and freshman Gary Harris but their biggest difference maker might be down low in Adreian Payne. The 6'10 junior averages 10+ points and 7.5 rebounds per game and along with Derrick Nix is a lot to handle inside.

4 St. Louis vs 13 New Mexico State

• St. Louis is playing with an interim head coach in Jim Krews who's done an outstanding job after the death of legendary coach Rick Majerus. The Billikens are the best team in the Atlantic 10 which is one of the best leagues in the country and got 5 teams into the tournament.

5 Oklahoma State vs 12 Oregon

• Everyone's focused on Oregon because they got screwed seeding wise but the guy to watch is Marcus Smart for Oklahoma St.  With a outstanding tournament, he could be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft.

6 Memphis vs 11 MTSU/St. Mary's

• For now my fact will be about St. Mary's although they might not make it to the round of 64 at which point I'll change my fact here. Matthew Dellavedova is the reason they got in and while they barely made it in the field, this team is dangerous because 6'4" senior puts up 20 point games on the regular (11 this season).

7 Creighton vs 10 Cincinnati

• Speaking of guys who can put up points, Doug McDermott is one of my favorite players to watch in the country. The way he moves without the ball is textbook. McDermott's dad, Greg, is his head coach.
• BONUS: I spelled Cincinnati correctly on the first try for the first time in my life typing the heading for this.

8 Colorado State vs 9 Missouri

• Much like Michael Carter-Williams for Syracuse, Phil Pressey can shoot Missouri out of games or pass them into wins. The last 4 games are a perfect example. Pressey took 1 and 3 shots in the Tigers two wins. He took 12 and 16 in the two losses. He played 30+ minutes in every game.

West Region

1 Gonzaga vs 16 Southern

• I thought Miami (FL) deserved the #1 seed but the Bulldogs are a really really good. They're best player is Kelly Olynyk, a 7 foot center whose versatile game has him in position to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft. He's aslo Canadien. Eh.

2 Ohio State vs 15 Iona

• Easy to tell you Aaron Craft is the best on-ball defender in the country and he's white and everyone else's fans hate him. However how about an Iona nugget? Lamont "Momo" Jones is a transfer from Arizona and was part of the team with Derrick Williams that beat Kyrie Irving's Duke team two years ago. Irving scored 28 and went #1 in the draft. Williams went #2. 

3 New Mexico vs 14 Harvard

• New Mexico wing Tony Snell can flat out ball. He's the one with the dreads. That's all you need to know. Watch him every chance you get.

4 Kansas State vs 13 Boise State/La Salle

• K-State's Rodney McGruder is one of the best scorers in the tournament. He put up 30 in their first tourney game last year. The whole offense is designed around him moving off the ball. Keep your eye on #22.
• BONUS: La Salle's coach has a doctorate. Dr. John Giannini

5 Wisconsin vs 12 Marshall Henderson

• Lots of studying of Wisconsin as I prepare to cover them, but this nugget goes to Marshall Henderson. He's brash. He's in your face. He gets buckets. He's great at beer pong. He likes Coors Light. He doesn't like the other coaches in the SEC for not voting him player of the year. He's white. People hate him. Confidence is not a problem. It's wildly entertaining and I cannot wait to cover him.

6 Arizona vs 11 Belmont

• I actually know very little about these teams. Knew it would happen eventually. Arizona at the end of games is a mess. Belmont shoots a lot of threes and does so well. Popular upset pick. Belmont's in Nashville. Arizona is...well...in Arizona. #Knowledge

7 Notre Dame vs 10 Iowa State

• Notre Dame's got a great inside/outside combo in Jack Cooley (inside) and Jerian Grant (outside). The most fun story is Garrick Sherman who had basically fallen out of the rotation until he was literally needed against Louisville. After not playing in all of regulation he came in and dropped 17 points in the 5 overtimes and has been in the rotation ever since.

8 Pittsburgh vs 9 Wichita State

• Pittsburgh is ranked 7th in the KenPom.com rankings yet is an 8 seed. Needless to say that's the biggest disparity of any team. Their point guard Trey Woodall seems like he's been at Pitt forever because he kinda has. He and I graduated high school the same year. I've gone to two schools, graduated, got a job and got fired. He's still there.

South Region

1 Kansas vs 16 Western Kentucky

• Watch #23 for Kansas. His name is Ben McLemore and he can fly. He's also one of the best shooters in the country, but more fun is to watch him dunk. He jumps easier than anyone I've ever seen.
• BONUS: Another entrant in the "he's still there?!" department. Western Kentucky Senior Jamal Crook was playing there when I was at Middle Tennessee covering the Sun Belt. 

2 Georgetown vs 15 Florida Gulf Coast

• Otto Porter for Georgetown might be the best player in college basketball. He can do everything and he does. He nearly beat Syracuse single-handedly 3 times. The Hoyas also defend harder than anyone else in the country except maybe Louisville. They give your guards zero airspace.

3 Florida vs 14 Northwestern State

• One of the streakiest players in the tournament is Florida's Kenny Boynton. When he's on he can score with the best of em. When he's off, he can shoot them out of games. The Gators do have balance though with Patric Young inside and Mike Rosario (Rutgers transfer) to supplement Boynton on the perimeter.
• BONUS: I didn't know Northwestern State existed either. Further research shows it's in Natchitoches, LA.

4 Michigan vs 13 San Diego State

• If Porter from Georgetown isn't the best player in the country it's probably Trey Burke. The Michigan point guard is a playmaker on both ends of the floor who can score, help others score and prevent his man from scoring. Kinda all you want in a point guard.

5 VCU vs 12 Akron

• I didn't watch enough of VCU this year to know em real well but they're style is signature. They press full court, making them a popular upset pick over Kansas in the Sweet 16 because KU doesn't have a true point guard to handle the pressure. I don't think they're gonna get passed Michigan though making that a mute point.

6 UCLA vs 11 Minnesota

• The most popular upset pick in the tournament is this game. Why? Minnesota has an NBA quality big in Trevor Mbakwe on it's front line and crashes the boards with reckless abandon while UCLA doesn't ever box out anybody. The Bruins are also now without Jordan Anderson who might've been their best player. 

7 San Diego St vs 10 Oklahoma

• This is pathetic but I'm punting here. I should know more about both teams. I covered the Big 12 yet know nothing about OU. In my defense, I was fired before conference play started. Syracuse beat San Diego State to start the year on a boat. That was a long time ago and I don't remember a thing about them. So there's your fact. SDSU lost on a boat to start the year.

8 UNC vs 9 Villanova

• You'll get two facts here to make up for the prior punt. This is a good one too. UNC has been very good down the stretch of the season and is under-seeded. The change in play was sparked after Roy Williams changed his starting lineup and basically went "screw it" and started his best 5 instead of worrying about positions. It's a small lineup featuring 6'9" James Michael McAdoo at the center spot and it almost beat Miami for the ACC tourney title. 
• BONUS: Also watch Reggie Bullock for UNC. The guy can flat out shoot and he's got a sick mohawk.
• BONUS BONUS: Speaking of shooters, watch Ryan Arcidiacono for Villanova. Also don't get confused by his name when they say Arcidiacono every time. It's his last name. Not "Archie Diacono." He's only a freshman but Jay Wright has admitted he's petrified to take him on the floor. He's that important.

East Region

1 Indiana vs 16 LIU-Brooklyn/James Madison

• Let's not get cute. Victor Oladipo is as fun to watch as any player in the country for Indiana. He's a 6'4" junior who'd basically been a good wing defender and that's about it. Now he does everything and man can he fly.

2 Miami vs 15 Pacific

• Again, let's focus the spotlight where it belongs. Shane Larkin has gone from "Barry Larkin's son" (as in the Hall of Fame baseball player) to one a name on his own as one of the best point guards in the country.

3 Marquette vs 14 Davidson

• Popular upset pick because Marquette hasn't that great away from home. When you say "what do they do really well?" there's not really an answer. They're just solid all-around. Lots of good. Nothing great.

4 Syracuse vs 13 Montana

• Pick your Syracuse fact I could throw at you. Key to everything is Michael Carter-Williams. If he gets steals and gets the Orange in transition, they're as good as anyone. If the offense gets bogged down in the halfcourt, MCW tends to turn it over and bad things happen. Montana is very capable of pulling this upset. Veteran team who shoots the 3 well.

5 UNLV vs 12 Cal

• Keep your eyes down low on Anthony Bennett for UNLV. He's a top 5 pick in the June NBA Draft.

6 Butler vs 11 Bucknell

• Butler has tournament experience and the capability to beat anyone. They beat Indiana earlier this year. Can they put it together for 6 games and win it all? Probably not, but they're never an easy out because they're super well coached. They've got a couple of excellent players including Rotnei Clarke (scorer) and Roosevelt Jones both does a little bit of everything.

7 Illinois vs 10 Colorado

• If Colorado wins don't be surprised because they're ranked higher in the BPI. However the best player on the floor will be Brandon Paul from Illinois who single-handedly beat Gonzaga earlier this year.

8 NC State vs 9 Temple

• NC State was the favorite to win the ACC in the preseason and has a ton of talent but keep your eyes on Khalif Wyatt for Temple. He's not hard to find. He shoots a ton and makes a ton and single handedly beat Syracuse and almost did it again to Kansas a week later.

Want more? Listen to the bracket preview podcast:

Random Rumblings: NCAA Tourney Edition

It's the day after Selection Sunday and I've finally looked at the bracket enough times to realize that it didn't help me at all in trying to figure out a crazy year in college basketball. I've filled out my bracket, which I'll post below, and it's got a lot less chalk than my first impressions bracket I did last night, but a whole lot after the Sweet 16. For as much parity as there is this year, I still think there are about a dozen teams that are better than the rest. Will it play out that way? Probably not. It never does, but I feel more comfortable picking that way and living with the results than kicking myself for an upset bid that dies in the round of 64.

Who's In? Who's Out

On the selection shows, everyone was seemingly happy with the 68 teams selected to participate in this year's tournament. Even more surprisingly Twitter didn't explode with people who were mad and people noticed.

strange year.no one is complaining about any snubs
— Eric Reinhold (@eric_theorange) March 18, 2013

Allow me.

I'm very uncomfortable with the message the committee is sending. The last group of teams out was largely major conference teams with a higher number of quality wins than the mid-majors that got in. I'm thrilled for Kermit Davis and MTSU and at 28-5 they probably deserved to be in but the explanation of "they won on the road" as opposed to Kentucky who "didn't" isn't going to cut it for me.

Beating every team on the road in conference but Arkansas State is impressive in the realm of the Sun Belt, however there is no shining road victory on MTSU's resume. The Blue Raiders don't have anything close to Big Blue Nation's win over Ole Miss or even the 3 point loss to #1 overall seed Louisville (albeit without Nerlens Noel). The much more accurate argument is Kentucky consistently lost on the road (Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, etc) while MTSU just didn't lose.

While MTSU should've gotten in over Kentucky and in looking at all the major "snubs" I can't really complain about anybody in particular, I'm nervous about the path we're headed down. When we talk about scheduling, it works both ways. If Middle schedules Kentucky, UK has to agree to the game and it's on their schedule, but then we whine about them playing a team from the Sun Belt. I'm all for those games and they should happen and Kentucky should supplement that game with some from the Big 10, ACC, etc. However if a major team's non-conference schedule isn't chalked full of juggernauts we shouldn't freak out. They're gonna play a major conference opponent every night of their conference season because they're in a major conference. That said, the major conferences are down and some of the mid-majors are up so that accounts for some of the difference.

In the end you have to play somebody and some of these teams didn't. More importantly the last teams out consistently loss to not so great teams in their league and didn't prove they could go on the road and win. Yes MTSU was beating South Alabama, but they beat them in the conference on the road. If the committee proved anything it's that you just have to win. As long as we don't lose site of the conference schedules and wins and over-obsess on the non-conference scheduling no matter win or lose, than I'm cool. I can see that path coming though and I don't want to go down it.

The Actual Snubs

There are legitimate gripes about seeding and no one's is louder than Oregon. The Ducks were leading the Pac-12 when their starting point guard Dominic Arits went out with an injury. He came back and they won the conference tournament. So they get a 12? I know the Pac-12 isn't the Big 10 but holy shnikes that's a terrible job by the committee.

North Carolina also has a gripe as an 8, especially since they get Kansas in the 2nd round if they beat Villanova. The Heels finished strong and how you're playing is supposed to matter, especially since the uptick came after a lineup change. The Heels didn't really beat anybody this year, especially on the road but they deserve better than an 8 based on their RPI. Interestingly enough their BPI is 32 which would put them as the top #8 seed so I don't think it's a travesty, but they should be higher. In other words, they shouldn't be a #4 seed but the Heels deserve a #6 or 7 when you account for the solid play to end the year. For more on RPI go here. For BPI (which I prefer cause it's better), go here.

Other seeding snubs: Pittsburgh is the most under-seeded per their KenPom.com ranking which uses efficiency stats amongst other things to rank the teams (great tidbit from Gary Parrish). The Panthers are really staunch defensively but at times have a lot of trouble scoring (at others they score at will...like when they play DePaul who the hung 90+ on this year). If Pitt makes it to the Sweet 16 and faces Wisconsin there's potential for a game in the 30's that those who opposed the shot clock would be proud of.

5 Observations from March

Conference tournaments allow us to see teams we hear about a ton but don't really get to watch especially when we have plug into the wall cable that doesn't even get ESPN2. So as I watched some of these teams here are some things I noticed:

1. If you have a kid who wants to play basketball, watch Creighton and teach him how to play like Doug McDermott. The way he moves without the ball is perfect. He makes every cut like he's demanding the basketball but doesn't get upset with his teammates if he doesn't get it. That amount of urgency makes his defender constantly on edge as well as all the help because you think he's always getting the ball. Once he gets the ball he's the whole package - inside and outside - which isn't surprising from a coach's son.
2. Tony Snell can really go. The wing from New Mexico was spectacular in the Mountain West title game. Every time the Lobos needed a big shot, he took it and made it. I want to watch him again in the big dance and I think we'll get to for multiple games.
3. Bill Self owns Bruce Weber. I wrote about this after Kansas and Kansas State played in Manhattan but the strategic advantage KU has over K-State is astonishing. It helps that the Jayhawks have the athletes to pull it off but everything I wrote about in January proved true again in the Big 12 championship game.
4. I have zero clue what to make of the Big 10. The best player is Trey Burke but can he carry a team who's other key players are all not only freshman but often still play like freshman? I don't know. A close 2nd is Victor Oladipo and 3rd is Cody Zeller and they play together and I don't know how they ever lose but they lost 3 of their last 6 so there's that. Wisconsin is a KenPom.com top 10 team and on Parrish's list to possibly win it all. They play such a unique style but have zero star power. Michigan State is always good in March. I know this is the best conference but after an entire regular season I still can't figure it out.
5. Confession: I love Otto Porter. And by love I mean I never ever want to see him play Syracuse again. The guy's just good. I'm supposed to hate him because he goes to Georgetown but I like basketball too much and now that I'm pretty sure Cuse won't play the Hoyas again, I'm allowed to like him. It took everything Cuse had to beat him and no matter how they tried to shut him down he controlled the game. Syracuse won because James Southerland was hotter than Phoenix in July but if I've got the #1 pick in the draft I take a serious look at Porter if I need a wing depending on what other pieces I have. A team like Cleveland who has a star already in Kyrie Irving would be a perfect fit for Porter.

My Bracket:

No further introduction. In case you want to know...here's what I got as of now. Which is Monday night.

Hoping to do a podcast tomorrow explaining my picks. For now just let them wash over you.

Survive and Advance

Last night ESPN debuted their newest 30 for 30 documentary and it was spectacular for so many reasons. First and foremost the story telling was tremendous as guys like Dereck Whittenburg and Terry Gannon retold the storybook 1983 run by their NC State team to a title. I never knew that Jim Valvano was the creator of the fouling in late games to extend the game strategy. I never knew that the NCAA let conferences pick their own 3 point line distance. I don't think I realized just how good that Phi Slamma Jamma Houston team was. I learned a ton.

However more important than what I learned is what I had reenforced and that is that Jim Valvano was just a different human being and the world would be a better place if there were more of us like him. So many of us often say the things that Jim would but how many of us live them like he did?

I could write forever on Jimmy V because inspired doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about him and this isn't anything new. I'll simply say this - last night I was reminded about Valvano's most important message: to dream. Jimmy V wasn't afraid to dream and then had the drive, love and passion to work towards making those dreams a reality. I've been unemployed for over 3 months now and yet I'm unchanged in my dreams. Some days are harder than others, but I know I've surrounded myself with people who believe in me and on those rough days they won't let me give up on my dreams. As Jimmy V said, "don't give up, don't ever give up." After a weekend where I found out some of the opportunities I thought I had the best chances at were going other directions, it was reenforcement I was happy to hear.

What's Next?

As I said, some things I had in the works are unfortunately no longer in the works so life in Lawrence continues. I have picked up a temporary reporting gig for the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City covering Wisconsin's Scout.com site so expect to see Badger stories the rest of the week on Twitter. Some will be free and some will be premium and thus require a Scout.com subscription. Other than that, I'm still looking for my next radio gig so if you know anyone looking for a more than capable host willing to move anywhere, please send them here and have them contact me here.

On this site this week I'm really excited about the article I'm planning for Wednesday. I'm going to go through every 1st round game and give one nugget on it. This could be some random thing I find/heard or more likely a player to watch. It's somewhat of a challenge for me to see if I know something about at least one of the teams in each game but it's the ultimate tourney primer if you need something around the water cooler or wherever you're hiding watching in the office watching games Thursday and Friday instead of working. I'm going to start it tomorrow and might post the first half so stay tuned.

Bonus because it's awesome:

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber dated for a while. Now they're not. Bieber's kinda going off the rails. Selena is still trucking on, very comfortable with where she is in life. She also has a new movie out which has her on the promo trail and on Letterman tonight she fired a zinger that I didn't know she had in her and it was spectacular.



There is no follow up. That's all I got.

Random Rumblings 3-11-13

I haven't emptied out the notebook in a while, so let's get after it.

So the Lakers are in the playoffs

I've thought all along they'd find a way in and sure enough by early March the Lakers are technically in the playoffs. They have a real shot at finishing not only with the 8th seed but in the 7 or even 6 spot. The Lakers are behind Houston (1 game for 7th) and Golden State (2 games for 6th) as it stands now and the Warriors haven't been playing well. However finishing 8th might wind up being a better option for LA as their #1 goal should be avoiding Oklahoma City for as long as possible. If they get San Antonio (who right now has the #1 seed) or the Clippers (3rd seed) then the Lakers could definitely win a series and then who knows.

So how did we get here from "TRADE EVERYONE NOW!" where I was a month ago. A few things changed and maybe we did jump the gun after all. First and foremost Dwight Howard is playing much better and more importantly acting like a grownup since the all-star break. Everyone's talking about his back getting healthier. No one's talking about him totally cutting sugar from his diet and his conditioning "suddenly" improving. Yes the back is getting better finally and the difference is real but if an NBA has to cut sugar out of his diet, especially when conditioning is an issue, then something has been going wrong.

Just as importantly Dwight has embraced Kobe Bryant's leadership style also known as gotten over himself. It's easy to buy into a guy who's playing as well and as hard as Bryant and maybe if Howard matches Kobe's effort (or is at least close) down the stretch, Bryant can conserve a little bit for May and June. Kobe told Michael Wilbon in an interview over the weekend he didn't imagine being so "doggon tired" at this point in the year because he's had to put in so much effort this season. Kobe's conditioning has never been a question but the reality is this is season 17 with the playoffs in nearly all of them and deep runs in many. For a guy who's game is predicated on a lot of jumpers and some newly re-found explosiveness, having his legs is kind of important.

While I've maintained all year that the Lakers would find their way in, I've also said I would've traded Dwight because I don't see this working moving forward. I'm not willing to totally come off of that yet, but if Howard's attitude change is permanent then I'm in. Sign Dwight to the extension and move on with him as the centerpiece for the future. Missing in all of this of course is Pau Gasol who's absence has given the Lakers an identity. They're no longer battling the old two bigs signature they had with Gasol and Andrew Bynum. This is a pick-and-roll team with Bryant, Howard and Steve Nash. If they can make a few moves to get some shooters and a little more athleticism this summer, a title run next year isn't out of the question if Bryant stays at this level. At the center of any deal will be Gasol. More unthinkable to early February me is Mike D'Antoni might be around to see it all. We'll see what happens.

Syracu-ewwwwwse

That pun works better if you say it out loud. Kinda. I apologize. That was bad even for me. Not as bad as the Orange over the last month though. Totally disgusting. I wrote about SU's struggles in depth for Orange Fizz but I wanted to highlight the astounding difference in offensive quality between Syracuse and Georgetown Saturday.

If you want to die playing a drinking game (by halftime), chug your beverage of choice every time a Syracuse player stands and dribbles in place behind the 3 point line. Play the same game with Georgetown and a Mormon could participate while keeping his or her religion which strictly prohibits alcohol.

For the Hoyas there is constant ball movement and man movement. While their Princeton offense against man-to-man is painfully slow and drives everyone nuts, their zone offense is simply beautiful. It is instructional tape good. You know why Markel Starks and Otto Porter were always open? Because Syracuse was busy moving around playing defense and couldn't track them as they moved within their system. Meanwhile Syracuse would pound the ball into the floor, maybe make one pass and take a bad perimeter shot time and again. The difference is staggering. More on The Fizz.

WR's on the move

The NFC West is the best division in football and today it's best two teams got better. The Seahawks made a dynamite move in adding Percy Harvin. Their pistol offense is hard enough to defend thanks to uber accurate yet mobile quarterback Russell Wilson. Now you add a guy in Harvin who you have to first locate then try and defend on every play on top of Wilson and a superb power running game from Marshawn Lynch and that team is a total offensive juggernaut.

You know what would have helped the 49ers in the Super Bowl? A big possession receiver who's excellent in the red zone. Kinda like the guy who killed them in the Ravens' Anquan Boldin. So today the 49ers traded for Anquan Boldin. The trade gives Colin Kaepernick a tremendos stable of solid targets with Boldin, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. All of them fit the physical identity of the team.

What's laughable to me about the Boldin trade is that a guy who could've been the Super Bowl MVP was traded for a 6th round pick. It's not uncommon for 6th round guys to turn out well in the NFL but the chances of getting someone as good as Anquan Boldin the 6th round aren't awesome. Draft picks sound great but the minute you use them on a player, they lose value. Unless of course it's an early prospect who still has lots of upside until he actually plays and people realize they're not that good. It's worse often in the NBA but the NFL is guilty of it too.

Oh yeah...that dunk

What Deandre Jordan did to Brandon Knight last night was inhumane.

How Knight handled it was spectacular.

It wasn't in the scouting reports that the clippers threw lobs lol
— Brandon E Knight (@BrandonKnight07) March 11, 2013

Knight's a really smart guy who probably could've graduated Kentucky in 2 years because he had so many credits when he got to school. He went to a prep school and was the valedictorian. Instead he stayed at UK for a single season and was a top 10 pick. He couldn't have handled this any better. Except not getting underneath Jordan in the first place. As ESPN's Michael Smith said:

What happened to Brandon Knight is a teachable moment. Discretion is the better part of valor.
— Michael Smith (@michaelsmith) March 11, 2013

Other random thoughts

• Tiger Woods is the best golfer on the planet again. He's won 5 of his last 19 tournaments. I'd be shocked if he doesn't win a major this year. Whether he's "back" or not depends on whether or not you're an idiot. I mean whether or not you care about that stuff. Which you shouldn't because it's impossible to define and changes depending on what you think of Woods. He's better than everyone else. Fact. No further "meaning" needed.

• Victor Oladipo said if the media doesn't vote Cody Zeller Player of the Year, something's wrong with them. Well Victor, that's not the first time someone's told me that because I had a vote, I'd vote for you. In big spot after big spot on both ends of the floor, Oladipo was sensational. Tom Creen recruited him hoping to find a poor man's Dwyane Wade and that's what he got. A freak athlete who plays much bigger than his size by rebounding and blocking shots. He's not Dwyane Wade. He won't be nearly the pro although I think he'll be a solid NBA player, but a poor man's college Wade? Win for Tommy. 

• Do yourself a favor and watch the Big East Women's Championship tomorrow night when Notre Dame and UConn square off for the 3rd time this year. It's likely the last time they'll do so in this setting as it looks like the Irish are ACC bound next year. I was at the first meeting and watched the second just last week and came away from both games feeling like the better team, UConn, lost. A huge reason why is Notre Dame had the best player in Skylar Diggins who bailed her team out with spectacular play. The first time they had a great look at the end from the best shooter in the country and missed. The second time they should've won at the end of regulation and each of the first two overtimes and Notre Dame got bailed out by the refs and then pulled miracles before dominating the 3rd OT as the absences of Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley finally caught up to the Huskies. Simply put, if you like good basketball watch. Yes it's women's basketball but it's good basketball.

Jay Williams on CBB

ESPN College Basketball Analyst Jay Williams joins me to chat about why he waited till now to tell his story, who the best team in the country is and if that team could beat his 2001 Duke National Championship team. Plus, Jay weighs in with strong words for Michael Carter-Williams.

Stephen Bardo on CBB

One of the best in the business, ESPN's Stephen Bardo joins me to break down Syracuse's mid-season slump and much more.

Fake Trade That Will Never Happen But Should

The NBA's trade deadline is today at 3 pm and I have a deal that I love the more I think about, but it will simply never happen. Why? It makes too much sense. And one of the players involved wouldn't waive his no-trade clauses but it would never get to that point because there's just zero chance of the GM's coming together to make it happen. But it should. Because it would make all three teams better. Holy blockbuster here's the deal and yes, the salaries work:

Lakers get:
G Rajon Rondo (BOS)
F Jeff Green (BOS)
F Lamar Odom (LAC)

Celtics get:
C Dwight Howard (LAL)
G Steve Nash (LAL)
G Eric Bledsoe (LAC)

Clippers get:
F Kevin Garnett (BOS)

That's it. That's the trade. Every name you've heard from these teams in trade rumors (plus Nash and Odom) all for each other and somehow with all the zillions of trade restrictions in the NBA, it actually works. Here are the positives and negatives for all involved.

Lakers

The first and biggest mental hurdle of this trade is the Lakers willingness to trade Howard. They insist they're not. I've long said they should and this deal in particular makes sense for multiple reasons. The reason you keep Howard is he gives you a next superstar after Kobe Bryant retires. By getting Rondo, you get that and you do so at a position of need. While Nash has been alright offensively this year, he's never been a great defensive player. Rondo is better than Nash at both ends at this point in their careers and in the point guard heavy western conference, having a stopper at that position is essential.

Unlike Howard, he has the competitive drive to keep up with Bryant and while "every night Rondo" is different than "national TV Rondo" he never fails to show up for big games and that would resonate with Bryant. Now for the thing you didn't think of.

If the Lakers keep Howard, they have to fire Mike D'Antoni for reasons well documented (they hate each other). D'Antoni's on a multi-year deal. The Lakers are still paying Mike Brown. They'd have to hire a new coach (and would flirt with the uber-expensive Phil Jackson). That's a whole lot of money. So who could possibly run Mikey D's system?

What is needed is a younger Steve Nash. I pass-first point guard with an outstanding handle who looks to pass first but can also score. Also known as Rajon Rondo. Nash was/is a much better shooter than Rondo (understatement) but Rondo puts pressure on a defense much like Nash did which opens the passing angles that pick-and-rolled Nash to two MVP trophies. By also adding Green, the Lakers get younger and more athletic at the four spot. Green's a stretch four too which is essential to D'Antoni's system. Pau Gasol shifts to center. Earl Clark and Green play the four or Green can play some at the three for the most athletic lineup the Lakers have had in years. Bada boom. Bada bing. You don't have to fire D'Antoni and the only financial hell you're in is your luxury tax instead of players and coaches dismembering the Buss family bank account.

Is it a perfect, fool-proof plan? Of course not. Rondo and Bryant could butt heads as to who's the alpha-male much like Rondo has with Pierce. Unlike with Pierce, Rondo would lose this battle and who knows how he would handle it. Rondo could also look at all the other guys who think D'Antoni is clueless, not listen to him and not come close to the production Nash enjoyed in Phoenix. While Rondo can lock in defensively, he likes to gamble much like Bryant which could cause very inconsistent defensive play and Gasol isn't exactly an elite rim protector like Bryant used to have with Bynum/younger Gasol/Odom or Rondo has had in KG.

If my options are "keep malcontent Howard and either have to fire a coach/lose him for nothing this summer" or "guarantee something to build around, not have Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker and Chris Paul dribble in circles around me in the playoffs and get the added bonus of not kill my finances," I'll take the latter. Does it wave the white flag on this season cause Rondo's hurt? Probably, but the Lakers are about titles and if you think this team is winning a title this year, you haven't been paying attention.

Celtics

The Celtics are willing to trade Rondo in part because they realize their window is closing as fast as the Lakers is with Bryant. They weren't very good this year with Rondo and are playing better now without him (hooray ball movement!) but in the playoffs they'll miss him if they don't make a move. Unlike the Lakers who are trying to compete in the point-guard heavy west with the Spurs, Thunder and Clippers, the C's have one opponent in mind: Miami. What's the way everyone thinks is best to beat Miami? Size.

By bringing in Howard, Boston at worst stays neutral or more likely upgrades defensively over KG depending on Dwight's back. Maybe not competing with Green for minutes re-inspires Brandon Bass and you don't wind up missing Green at all and it also creates an interesting backcourt dynamic. Courtney Lee moves to the bench and you start Nash with Avery Bradley. It's a small backcourt but who has two supreme offensive guards? Milwaukee, who's trying to trade one. So no one and it's not a problem. Bradley guards the more explosive offensive guard (Wade, Raymond Felton/JR Smith, Paul George, etc) while Nash can stand in the corner with Ronnie Brewer and Mario Chalmers. I love Mario as a spot up guy, but if the offense is being run through him and not Wade/LeBron, advantage not Miami.

Lee then comes in with Jason Terry who can spark the second unit (again thinking the "new role, stop playing like garbage" theory here) while Lee can be your traditional pressure the ball 94 feet backup point guard.

You miss the leadership of KG but gain a lot of it back in Nash. There's potential tension between Pierce and Howard but if you convince Dwight that Pierce is a billiondy times better version of Hedo Turkoglu whom he took to The Finals in '09 maybe they play nice. Also, Doc Rivers isn't exactly Mike D'Antoni at managing egos. Which is a good thing.

Clippers

If the Clippers make it out of the west and meet Miami in The Finals, do you feel good about their chances? As we saw last year with OKC and really Miami before that, there's a process in the NBA and you have to learn to win. This group of Clippers is just too young and outside of Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups, them coming up short on a big stage wouldn't be shocking. Enter KG.

While it would no doubt still be Paul's team, Garnett would provide some experience amongst the bigs and his presence might do even more in the long-term development of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan (who I managed to keep in LA doing this deal) than help LA this season. From a basketball standpoint, he also provides them stability in late game situations. Right now you're scared to play Jordan or Blake, nevertheless both, late in games because each is a horrific free throw shooter. Add in the fact that neither is an elite defender and the decision to play Garnett over one of them is easy.

While no one's talking about it, Dwight Howard isn't the only superstar in LA with an expiring contract. Paul's deal is up when the season ends as well and it makes sense that maximizing this year's playoff run maximizes the chances Paul resigns. While you give up uber potential in Bledsoe, you've got plenty of guard depth and he's a backup guard. Is he one of the best backup guards in the league? Yes, but he's a backup guard. This logic also applies to Lamar Odom who might actually be the deal breaker (see below).

Why it doesn't happen

Nash signed in LA this summer so that he could be close to his kids in Phoenix. While he doesn't have a no-trade clause, the Lakers aren't trading him even though this move makes a ton of sense as it would be a horrible look for the organization. That kind of classlessness could set off Kobe too and how the Lakers come off after the passing of Dr. Jerry Buss is important. Garnett does have a no-trade clause and has said he's not going anywhere unless the Celtics trade Pierce, which they wouldn't do because in this scenario they're still going for it this year, just without Garnett.

Odom is the interesting piece. I had to throw him in for salary purposes but that's actually the closest thing to a deal breaker in this whole thing because trading him away takes away such a unique piece of the Clippers bench, their biggest strength and gives more to the Lakers who lack it, making one of your rivals stronger. The argument to do it anyway is Garnett is an upgrade on Odom on both ends, Jordan becomes a bench player because KG takes his starting spot and to hell with the Lakers because you think you're the better team and can beat them.

You could also do this trade subbing Jordan for Odom. The salaries still work and the Clippers keep an experienced piece in Odom while giving up a guy who still has a lot of potential and is definitely getting better in Jordan. You're basically sacrificing future for present. While the thought of another young, athletic piece for the Lakers is exciting if they keep D'Antoni, the chance to re-unite Bryant, Gasol and Odom along with the fact that Odom's on a one-year deal is probably more appealing to the Lakers. Either way, I'd pull the trigger if I'm any of these teams.

The reality is this trade will never ever be discussed nevertheless happen. If it were somehow to make it to the right desks though, who (besides Garnett), says no?

Today's Show (2/15/13)

Today on "The Pulse," we'll look at Miami's dominant win over Oklahoma City last night and where we stand at the NBA's All-Star Break. The LeBron vs Michael Jordan discussion continues but what are we actually asking? Plus how MJ says Kobe over LeBron? We'll continue the "future QB's" discussion I've had on this very site - who do you like: RG3, Luck, Wilson, Kaepernick or Cam Newton?

We'll be joined by Carolina Panthers play-by-play man Mick Mixon (3:30 pm), CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish (4:30 pm) and ESPN's Jay Williams (TBD).

You can listen live to the show on 730 AM in Charlotte or online here.

Boeheim vs Katz

Sometimes coaches do outlandish things in post-game press conferences to take the attention away from their team's struggles. That's exactly what Jim Boeheim did last night, but not on purpose.

If you haven't heard the short version goes like this: Boeheim called ESPN's Andy Katz "an idiot and a very disloyal person" in the post-game press conference after Katz asked him a simple question. "I'll answer anyone's question but yours." Boeheim said.



Today there has been context provided from the Post-Standard. Boehiem told Bud Poloquin that it stems from a singular incident last season in which Katz tried to make Boeheim answer questions about the Bernie Fine scandal on-camera in a taped interview and the coach refused. This is after he had told Katz he wouldn't. He kept his word. Boeheim told him he'd never talk to him again. He's keeping his word.

So who's right and wrong? As you know by now, I rather enjoy writing and talking about the media so what's the verdict here. It's the same as nearly any problem involving two people. Both think they're right, the other's wrong and the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Where Katz is wrong

Television, and specifically national television, gets special perks that us little local media squirts wouldn't get. Katz never gets this one-on-one on-camera interview with Boeheim if ESPN doesn't sign his checks. The interview was supposed to be (according to Boeheim) about the tournament SU was playing in. These types of things are standard. You've seen the cutaway interview with just the coach/player on camera a million times. It starts full screen and then likely goes to a box in the corner to show the action. Most of the time you don't even know who's asking the questions.

If Boeheim told Katz that he wouldn't speak about the Fine case, then that's fine. Katz doesn't have to agree and he gets credit for asking the question everyone wanted answered and Boeheim didn't want asked. Boeheim says Katz was relentless though, asking upwards of 10 times about Fine. Katz says it was "only five or six. You want to know how many is acceptable? One.

The second Boeheim goes "I told you I wouldn't talk about that" in this kind of interview, you move on, especially if keeping a relationship with one of the most significant coaches in college basketball is important to you. This business is about relationships and Katz of all people should know that considering he has relationships all over the country that help him break news. Pissing off a hall of famer isn't exactly good for business just so you can stand on a moral high ground screaming about how you asked the tough question.

Katz is right in that he should get to ask the question and if he didn't agree to any boundaries kudos to him for doing it. However if he told or implied to Boeheim that he wouldn't touch the Fine scandal and did anyway, that's unethical. Some might disagree. Here's my rule on ethics - does it make you a crappy human being? Being dishonest or misleading does. Bad ethically. Simple as that. You don't swap honesty for access.

If those were the terms and Katz didn't like them, he can walk away from the interview. You don't take it and then do what you said you wouldn't. This means that if things went down the way Boeheim said they did, he has every right to be upset. That's of course all if that agreement was in place. From Katz via ESPNPR:

“Nothing of the sort took place. There was never any agreement not to ask Fine-related questions. In fact, that was ESPN’s first chance to speak with Coach Boeheim after the Fine news broke so of course we would ask him about it.  He had just come from a press conference where he addressed it as well.  Separately, later in that tournament, he agreed to talk to me on camera for a post-game interview.”

So there's that.

Where Boeheim is wrong

Being upset and abusing a pulpit to vent your frustrations are two totally different things. Boeheim knows when the cameras are on him and that he can use them to make a statement. He's done it positively this year with his message on gun violence following his 900th win. Boeheim likes to play the "I'm just a little old basketball coach in Syracuse" card but he knows the platform he has.

If Boeheim last night had simply told Katz "I told you I'm not talking to you and a press conference is no different" than there's really no complaining about Boeheim unless you want to call him a grudge holding curmudgeon.

Where Boeheim went wrong is what he said and he even admitted that today to the Post-Standard:

"I probably shouldn't have called him an 'idiot,'" he allowed. "That slipped out. Sometimes that happens after games."

Anytime your behavior could be compared to a 3rd grader, you've probably made a mistake on some level. Coming down to the level of name calling is nothing new for Boeheim unfortunately. Typically it's directed at writers at the Daily Orange or some other local media member. Do we congratulate him for equal opportunity in this case? Not so much.

As a point of contention, Boeheim also had no right to question Katz's loyalty as that implies the ESPN reporter should have some loyalty to Syracuse and Boeheim. Part of Katz's job is objectivity and while there's definitely room for liking a guy on a personal level, loyalty doesn't really enter the equation and Katz has every right to defend that point as he did to the Post-Standard.

Boeheim does have a right to question Katz's honesty though. If he deceived Boeheim into saying "no comment" ten times on camera, then the coach has a point. He didn't make that point though.

In Summary

This is stupid. It's petty. Boeheim routinely chastises reporters in a public manner instead of handling them man-to-man. In this case, the problem wasn't even public so it brought attention to a matter no one knew existed. Maybe that was Boeheim's point? To "out" Katz as a dishonest jerk? But to what endgame? ESPN's not firing him. Public shame? Who knows.

As far as Katz goes, he'll get away largely unscathed. He's got years of good work under his belt and has enough well placed sources that one coach not talking to him isn't going to cause him to lose sleep. He also will get a free pass from many who will simply go "there goes Boeheim" again.

The truth? Both are wrong. To Boeheim's credit, he copped to the name-calling. I wouldn't expect him to change his ways though.

Oh and by the way. Syracuse lost last night and Michael Carter-Williams only had one assist. He's got bigger issues to worry about.