Random Rumblings: April 20th

RIP Pearl

We randomly rumble on a sad day as we found out this morning that Dwayne "Pearl" Washington has passed away at the age of 52. The Syracuse basketball legend might be the most important player in program history. It's either him or Carmelo Anthony. That's it. That's the list.

In the early 80's as The Big East began, Pearl was one of the stars. The league's success can be directly tied to TV (and ESPN specifically) and that success can be drawn back to the star players. The bigger than life coaches, such as Jim Boeheim, John Thompson and Rollie Massimino all had major roles, but they had to have players to make the product worth watching.

Washington was not only an outstanding player, but he was a showman. He played with uncommon flair. I was watching "With A Kiss" yesterday, the documentary on CBS analyst Bill Raftery, who coached in the early 80's in the Big East at Seton Hall. Jim Boeheim was featured in talking about the Big East, and he told a story about a trip to the west coast. He landed at LAX and was waiting at baggage claim when someone shouted at him "Hey! You're Pearl's coach!" This was in the early 1980's in Los Angeles about a player in The Big East! That was the power of Pearl. He was the first recruit in Boeheim's best stretch of coaching success until the last six years.

There was no better guy and there’s nobody who has meant more to our basketball program than Dwayne Washington.#CuseFamily

— Jim Boeheim (@therealboeheim) April 20, 2016

I can't sum it up better than Boeheim. RIP Pearl, a true legend.

Will you shut up about RGIII? No.

The relationship between Robert Griffin III and Redskins fans is endlessly interesting to me. To start to understand the dynamic, you have to understand that there are numerous segments of the Redskins fanbase. There is a segment that is actually more RGIII fans than they are fans of the team. There's another group that despises Griffin. There's another group that just wishes anything about Griffin would go away. There's another group that's more rational and doesn't really care about Griffin, but understands why he's a story. Note: that is the rational group. It is likely larger than you think, but silent so we don't hear from them very often.

Smh, why are we talking about a Browns QB in DC ? I am missing something here. https://t.co/FgXXvvcAqq

— Ricky Jean Francois (@Freakyjean99) April 19, 2016

To Ricky, the rest of the fanbase and anyone else interested in the story, I'd like to explain media to you as succinctly as I can. First, our job isn't to help the team. It's STUNNING to me how many players and fans think that's our job. "Why aren't you more supportive?" Because that's not my job? I'm not paid (when I'm being paid...#HireMe) to bash the team either. I'm paid to say what I see and talk about what's interesting, without taking into consideration how it may effect the team. It's simply not a concern.

Secondly, just like whatever you do for a living, we are trying to make money. We make money by talking about the things that are interesting to you so that you'll listen. For a website like CSN, an article about Griffin's first mini-camp for the Browns will do well. You can call it "click-bait" but it's also good business, and it's really not that cheap. There is genuine interest in Griffin in DC because he's one of the most significant athletes to come through this market in 25 years. He's gone, but that doesn't mean the interest is. That's okay! In fact, it's completely normal.

Right now in Chicago, there's still an immense amount of talk about Tom Thibodeau. The former Bulls coach has been gone for a year. Where he goes next is one of the biggest topics on talk radio. The feud between him and the team was the number one underlying story of the Bulls' season. There's still an obsession with Phil Jackson in LA. There's still an obsession with Jeff Van Gundy in New York. LeBron is a topic of conversation in Miami constantly, although, much like Griffin, he's a topic of conversation everywhere.

The most interesting thing about Griffin and the DC market is how unique the DC market thinks it is. I've always laughed at this notion that the Redskins are a bigger mess than say the Jets or the Raiders, or that Griffin is getting some special treatment unseen before in the history of earth.

The point is these things happen. A star player, especially one with the star power of Griffin, leaves and people talk about him because he mattered to them significantly. I understand why some fans want to move on. I understand why players really want to move on. However it's the media's job to serve the largest portion of their audience, which does have some interest in that player. If you're not in that group, don't click! That's all. That's how you send your message. When the clicks/listens/views stop rolling in, we'll stop producing the content. Just don't click. Or change the channel. Whining about it actually makes it worse because you keep the name in the news. It proves that there is interest.

In our business the opposite of hate is not love and the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of both is apathy. Voice your concerns accordingly.

Reads of the Day:

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne with a masterclass on how to use access after she spent the day after retirement (and more) with Kobe Bryant: http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/undefeated-kobe160419/former-lakers-star-kobe-bryant-left-nba-just-getting-started

"An Unbelievable Story of Rape" will mess up your day, leave you feeling sick and is 100% worth your time. From ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/false-rape-accusations-an-unbelievable-story

Syracuse coach Mike Hopkins tweets his tales about Pearl Washington: https://storify.com/CraigHoffman/mike-hopkins-on-pearl-washington

Random Rumblings: April 19th

After some travel time, I've returned to rumble randomly. The travel was to my alma mater, Syracuse University, for the chance to work with the next generation of media superstars. Joe Lee, GM of WAER, invited me to work with his sports talk department and it turned into an incredible 48 hours on the hill.

It's hard to accurately describe what the student media, both WAER and Z89, mean to and have meant to my career. The shortest version of an attempt is merely saying that I would've gotten nowhere without them. The reason those places are so special is because the alums are so generous in giving back. Not only have some of the best and brightest in our industry established and passed down a standard of excellence when they were students, but they've also made sure to continue to go back and ensure that standard is upheld.

The fact that Joe reached out and specifically targeted me to come back and work with his staff is an honor. I was more than happy to make the trip. What I found, not shockingly, is an incredibly talented and driven group that craved the feedback and want to get better and continue the tradition. There's a reason there are so many Syracuse alums in this industry and there's a reason we're obnoxious about where we went to school. It's worth being proud of and it was abundantly clear to me after last week that the next generation understands that and will continue to live up to the expectations of being "one of those Syracuse guys" (or gals!) in every corner of media.

Kobe

I left for Syracuse at 6 am on Thursday morning, making it an unwise decision to stay up and watch Kobe's final game Wednesday night. So I didn't. I watched the first six minutes, in which he didn't hit a shot, and went to bed knowing it was on DVR for me to consume later.

I woke up Thursday morning bleary eyed and looked at my phone AND KOBE DID WHAT?! No amount of coffee or IV dripped caffeine could've had me come to attention faster than seeing that Bryant scored 60 on his final night. I immediately went to the box score and saw he shot fifty times, but he still scored sixty points!!! However as I started to read some of the reaction from Twitter the night before, then listen as I hit the road, I understood that this wasn't some chuck-fest. This was an all-time moment.

I finally got to watch this morning and it was pure magic. Were there some bad shots? Sure. He shot fifty times. You think they were all awesome? However there were also glimpses of a Bryant we all, including Kobe himself, thought was long gone. Snakes to the rim, ending in crafty finishes accounted for a solid percentage of his points. The pull-up jumper that made him the NBA's best player for a solid stretch of the early 00's looked as sure as it ever had. I'd use another word, but magic is the proper description.

For a player whose reputation as a closer was typically overstated (his percentages in clutch situation were terrible), this close was literally perfect. While he often forced shots and missed, there was no denying that Bryant always wanted to take the final shot. He thought it was his duty, and he had no fear of failure. That's admirable for an athlete, even if at times he should've played the percentages better. Wednesday night wasn't a time to play the percentages. Wednesday night was time to put on a show. He did, in the most unimaginable way possible.

He's inarguably one of the best fifteen players ever. He's almost inarguably one of the best twelve. He's arguably one of the best ten. He's done things few others have done in the modern era and some (his 81 point game) that none have done. From a pure sporting context, it doesn't get much better than  his performance on Wednesday. Also, Mike Tirico said "fo shizzle" late in the game going to break as the telecast showed Snoop dancing which is as all-time of a moment as anything Kobe did.

However in an age where we know more about our athletes than ever before, I'd feel like a total hypocrite if I didn't at least mention that Bryant was charged with rape in 2004. It was largely not mentioned during the Kobe farewell tour until the final few days as I saw it appear a few times on social media. I was pretty young during the trial, so I went back and looked at some of the reporting from the time and it's certainly damning of Bryant. At absolute best, Bryant committed rape amidst confusion about consent. This is directly from Bryant's statement after the charges were dismissed:

"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."

It takes two to have consent. The woman not believing she had consented constitutes rape, even if Bryant was under some other impression. Other accounts paint a much darker picture in which there's no confusion at all, and that there may have been other similar instances with other women that went unreported. We have a legal system that often fails victims of domestic and sexual violence. There are no winners in any of this. The charges against Bryant were dropped after his legal team engaged in horrifying victim blaming.

There's no good way to make all this into some grand conclusion. It feels like there's grey area here. Bryant rehabbed his image in part by doing an extremely high amount of charity work. He saw hundreds of Make-a-Wish kids, never denying one of their requests. His work with the homeless of LA is awe-inspiring. Does any of that make what he was alleged to do okay? Of course not. I don't know what the "right" response to all of this is. Watching his final game gave me great joy as a sports fan. Writing the last two paragraphs about a horrifying thing he is alleged to have done makes me feel really guilty about that joy. That's really all I've got.

Trade That Pick!

Making as hard of a left turn as we can, the Browns should trade the number two overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft and they shouldn't think twice about it. It's pretty clear the Rams are taking one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft, either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz at number one after trading with the Titans last week. That leaves any other team who wants one of those quarterbacks needing to trade with Cleveland to ensure they get their man.

The Browns don't need either if they're committed to Robert Griffin III at quarterback. Even if they're not, they should trade the pick anyway unless they believe one of them is truly special. The reality is the Browns stink. They're not winning this year with anyone they can possibly acquire at quarterback. They need a lot of players. The only way to get a lot of good players is to draft a lot of players. The way to draft a lot of players is to have a lot of picks, which you can acquire in a trade for the number two overall pick pretty easily.

NFL Draft picks, no matter where they are, are like lottery tickets. The higher the draft pick, the better chance that ticket is a winner, but the real goal is to get as many tickets as you can. If you go 50% on your picks, but only have six picks, you've only developed three players. If you have 12 picks? Now you've got six NFL caliber players and are making headway towards becoming good again.

Since multiple teams are likely to want in on whichever QB is left (multiple reports say it will be Wentz stating that the Rams like Goff), the Browns can probably get a great return for their pick. Making a deal is all about leverage. The Browns have it. They should use it, and then be patient as their stable of players develops and maybe, just maybe, they'll have a winner in Cleveland a few years down the road.

Reads of the day:

This Seth Wickersham piece for ESPN The Mag on Robert Nkemdiche is great. It shines a light on one of the draft's bigger question marks and how questionable the draft process is: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15159447/should-teams-worry-robert-nkemdic-nfl-future

NBA Player Wayne Ellington writes about his father's impact on his life and his cold-blooded murder for The Player's Tribune: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/wayne-ellington-nets-father/

If you want some great Kobe stories, Baxter Holmes has written some remarkable stuff for ESPN LA the past few weeks. This, on his shooting routine, is one of my favorites: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15179469/kobe-bryant-famous-pregame-shooting-routine

Random Rumblings: April 4th

I had breakfast with a good friend yesterday and he asked me how I was doing. The answer, as has been typical as of late, is "the job hunt's going slowly, but I'm really good." Those are both true. The job hunt in a super competitive industry that hasn't had a lot of movement is going slowly, but despite that I'm largely enjoying life and making the most of the free time.

As the conversation continued and he asked what I've been doing, I told him about what I've done to stay busy, including writing and podcasting. I followed that up with my usual "I really should be doing that more." My friend, who is also in the business, agreed. So I am. Starting today, there will be a post here of some type five days per week. Sometimes it'll be a short blurb. Sometimes it'll be a podcast. Sometimes it'll be a longer piece.

Unless there is one topic that deserves its own, stand-alone column, I'm going to return to the form I used when I was job-less in 2013. I'm going to just "empty the notebook." Whatever topics are on my mind, I'll comment on. Some will be the ones everyone is talking about. Some will be a little more off the beaten path. Off we go, with today's topics being on the hardwood.

The Cuse is No Longer Loose

Syracuse's miracle run through the NCAA tournament ended Saturday night when they were soundly beaten by an unquestionably better North Carolina squad. UNC is the perfect tournament team. They've got an incredible mix of talent and experience with seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson leading the way. They're both incredibly talented, know how to play and are tremendous competitors.

Syracuse isn't quite there yet. They have some talent, but the best of it is young outside of senior Michael Gbinije, who carried the Orange offensively through much of the year. Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon weren't quite ready for the moment as freshmen. Trevor Cooney actually played one of his best games in a Syracuse uniform in the season finale, but never quite lived up to what many thought he was capable of offensively in his time at SU. The talent was too young. The experience wasn't quite at the level of UNC's talent.

That said, this run was so enjoyable because of just that. It was an imperfect team who was completely maxing out what they were capable of. While the average fan may not understand the x's and o's of execution, everyone can appreciate effort. Even the most clueless of sports observers can go "that guy is playing really hard." While yes, Cooney didn't pan out as an offensive force like many of us thought he might, he played extraordinarily hard every minute and clearly put in a lot of work based on his growth over five years on campus into a well-rounded player. The same can be said for DaJuan Coleman. The five-star prospect arrived on campus as a hometown hero from nearby Jamesville-Dewitt, but has fought injury and never been the impact player he was slated to be. He's still busted his ass to become the best he can be, and hopefully with a fifth year next year after finishing this season healthy, can be a big time producer.

Jim Boeheim says Gbinije grew more as a player in his time than any player he's ever coached. Watching that growth has been a joy as a fan. I think he's got potential, because of his size, to be a pro. He's shown he can improve and will have to extend his range to the NBA three, but he's worth a second round pick in June.

Malachi Richardson's NBA path is a different story. He's not ready yet, but likely will be after next year. He was wildly inconsistent all year and that includes his signature game of the NCAA Tournament. He started 0-7 against Virginia before erupting in the second half to lead SU to the Final Four. Richardson should follow the Dion Waiters model and wait one more year. He'll be the featured option next season and should average between 15-20 ppg. With Syracuse poised to be a very good team again next year, Richardson could wind up in the lottery.

It won't surprise me if he tests the draft waters. The NCAA changed their rules in January to allow prospects to attend the NBA combine, feel out where they'll be drafted and still return to school so long that they don't hire an agent. Richardson could, and probably should, go but he'll find he's at best a borderline first round pick. One more year should do the trick.

Is UConn's good, good?

Boston columnist Dan Shaughnessy has spouted many questionable opinions over the years, and his most recent is being called that and worse by many. Shaughnessy said that the UConn women's continued dominance is bad for women's basketball. While his initial method, a tweet that seemed to wreak of sexism, wasn't a great look, his column after expounded and brought up legitimate questions that are worth exploring.

I think the answer to the question, "Is UConn's dominance good for women's basketball?" is "yes and no." In the short-term, Shaughnessy is right for a lot of fans. As he says, competition is the essence of sports and UConn has no current competition. After beating Oregon State on Sunday night, they've won 121 of 122 games, all of them by double figures. They're the three-time defending champions and only mighty Syracuse (go Orange!) stands in their way of number four. I love Coach Q and company, but my school will be finishing in second place.

Because of that dominance, there are fans who won't watch. However there are also fans that will. I enjoy greatness immensely and watching UConn pick a part an opponent is actually enjoyable. They play basketball at an extraordinarily high level. At that point you're not watching for the competition. You're watching for the excellence.

So while the short-term concerns Shaughnessy has are at least worth considering, there's no question this is good for the game long-term. There's a generation of girls watching this team, striving to be like Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson. The level of skill and creativity is on the rise in the women's game and a lot of this can be credited back to what Geno Auriemma and UConn have done. Auriemma runs NBA sets with his players and let's those players, like Stewart, Dianna Taurasi and Maya Moore showcase their skills. That will lead to more talent in the women's game and the sport will be better for it.

The bar UConn is setting will raise the sport as a whole. It already has in many ways. While UConn sits alone at the top, the other three teams in the Final Four were there for the first time. That's a great sign of the growing talent, and as more elite talent becomes available, the gap on UConn will close. Frankly, it'll close next year anyway when Stewart (who is in the discussion for best player UConn's ever had, which means she's one of the best ever anywhere) and Jefferson graduate.

Shaughnessy's initial tweet may have been very hot-takey, but his concerns were at least worth asking a few questions. Hopefully that helps answer them.

Coming Up Tomorrow

If there's a logical thing that I know I'll be writing about tomorrow, I'll preview it at the end of the blog. I'm headed to Opening Day in Baltimore, which should be a blast. Unless it rains. Baseball does pomp and circumstance better than any other sport, so I'm looking forward to the festivities.

Of course the national championship game will also be discussed. Villanova is playing outstanding basketball, but I'm taking North Carolina. That and more tomorrow!

The Battle of the Alma Maters

I left Riverside High School in 2008 bound for Middle Tennessee State University and a career in music production. That lasted about six weeks before I changed my major. Two years later I was a broadcast journalism major leaving Murfreesboro for Syracuse. The details of that aren't particularly relevant at the moment, but it was the best decision I ever made. Being an SU alum has opened more doors than I could ever imagine, but my time at MTSU was just as important, and basketball was an enormous reason why.

Syracuse is as big time as a program can get, which means that it's a little harder to get on the inside. Being a student reporter makes it near impossible. Jim Boeheim has a historical disdain for them and routinely humiliates them in press conferences seemingly for sport. Again, that's a different column for a different day, but I was never more than an educated observer as a member of the media at SU.

That was far from the case at MTSU.

While many of you reading know me as a football guy from my job at ESPN980, basketball is my first love. It's my passion. I love to watch. I love to play. I love everything about it.

That love was cultivated in many ways at Middle. I was incredibly lucky to have two coaches that not only were accessible, but let me into the inner sanctums of their programs. They trusted me. They allowed me to learn.

Rick Insell was an extraordinarily accomplished high school coach before taking over the MTSU women's program. Kermit Davis was one of college basketball's rising stars before he was hit with major violations at Texas A&M and had to rebuild his career, starting in junior college. He made his way back to the D1 ranks and took over MTSU in 2002.

While I watched from press row for much of my freshman year, I started early my sophomore year as both Insell and Davis allowed me to watch practices long before the season started and kept their doors open for the entire year.

It was inside the Murphy Center, where both teams held practice, that I learned more about the game of basketball than at any other point of my life. I learned how much goes into game preparation. I learned the detail with which a team had to execute to be successful. I learned how a coach instills an attitude in a team and a program.

While Coach Insell and the woman's program had more success when I was there, I learned much of that from Coach Davis. The intensity and tempo of their practices showed me what it took to win on the Division 1 level. I knew that if he was given the time, he would be able to build a team that could consistently compete, in large part because of how much Davis taught them to compete.

Not only is Kermit a great coach with an incredible depth of knowledge, but he was also incredibly open and approachable. He, and his staff, would happily answer questions I had about their team and about the game.

Simply put, my career would've played out differently if I didn't spend that time at MTSU, not only from a media standpoint where I was able to get invaluable reps in a less competitive student media program, but from a basketball standpoint where I learned more than I could bargain for.

I took that knowledge with me and was known as a basketball guy until I arrived in DC. I still am. I just have a football education now too.

A lot has changed since I left both schools. None of the players are still at either school, unless you count Trevor Cooney who redshirted during my senior year at SU. Both teams are in different conferences as well. However the coaches are still the same and Sunday they'll play each other for a spot in the Sweet 16.

I've always felt more loyalty to Syracuse because I'm so personally attached to the university. I feel no such attachment to MTSU, and in many ways felt spurned by some of the academic types and administration there. However when it comes to the basketball programs, I certainly could justify rooting for either side.

I have a feeling I'll find myself rooting for the Orange, but if Kermit and company pull out another one, I'll certainly be proud of them. Just like I am now, despite them blowing my bracket to smithereens.

12-7 Mavs Magazine

12-7 Mavs Magazine
Original Air Date: 12-7-14, 8 am
Included: Bonus Material on Wilmeth Sidat-Singh




Segment 1: Attack! How the Suns dismantled the Mavs
Segment 2: Mavs vs Bulls Double OT thriller, PJ Carlesimo on fouling late up 3
Segment 3: PJ Carlesimo on the Mavs best player and implementing new pieces
Segment 4: Emptying The Notebook, including bonus material on Wilmeth Sidat-Singh

To read more on Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, read here: http://deadspin.com/76-years-later-maryland-tries-to-right-a-college-footb-1455976233

Emptying the March Madness Notebook

As I watched games on TV and in person last week in San Antonio, I kept notes on things far and wide. There were x's and o's notes. There were notes on players, teams and coaches. There were notes (and pictures!) about mascots. This week has been nuts, but before we get to games tonight, it's time to empty the notebook.

Sights and Sounds

After the round of 64, I caught up with two winning point guards: Baylor's Kenny Cherry and Creighton's Austin Chatman. They faced off in the round of 32, a huge Baylor win. After that game I spent a few minutes with Baylor's Cory Jefferson.

When I took this picture, I didn't realize how good it was. It was just a quick snap. However I accidentally framed the picture with the Canadian flag in the top corner. Melvin Ejim is Canadian. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Seriously. What the hell is this? This is not okay. (It's Providence's mascot. It shouldn't be.)

Teams no longer with us

I was sitting with my friend and fellow Syracuse alum Mike Meltser Sunday night when I decided to finally run the numbers I've been curious about. I knew Trevor Cooney was shooting about 31% in conference. That's awful, but it gets worse.

In the Notre Dame game, Cooney went 9-12 from three. If you take out that game, Trevor Cooney shot 26% in conference. Most players who shoot that much aren't allowed by their coaches to shoot from deep. Syracuse's offense was designed for Cooney to shoot threes. I'm not saying that's a mistake as Cooney's clearly a capable shooter, however this is two years in a row in which he lost his shot and never really got it back. This above all else is why Syracuse is home.

Going after Aaron Craft off the dribble was a deathwish for four years. He had the ability to dominate a game without scoring like few guards we've seen in the last decade of college basketball. Craft has some of the best hands I've ever seen and getting passed him was like trying to run around the Great Wall of China. So naturally his career ended as someone got a step on him. A week later, I still can't believe it happened. Or as my friend Gary Parrish put it:

Aaron Craft’s college career ends with him getting beat off the dribble? Cruel.
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) March 20, 2014

It's hard to judge how well the committee did as the tournament plays out because they aren't doing a predictive exercise. They're doing a reactive exercise to what's happened during the season. That said, BYU getting smoked by Oregon proved they didn't belong. SMU did, but getting three more games at Moody Coliseum hasn't been so bad for the Mustangs.

What a weird situation in the Nebraska-Baylor game. The officiating, led by the notroriously horrific Karl Hess, was horrific. How Miles got thrown out was a total joke, which I’ll explain in a minute. But I’m more concerned conceptually with Miles first technical. It's really hard and a very fine line but Tim Miles was ahead of his team in being hacked off about the refs. That’s bad. It gives your team an excuse. As a coach, you’ve got to tell your guys to play through it. I talked with Kenny Cherry after the game and he said it’s 100% something they talked about once they realized how tight the whistle was. It showed. You’ve gotta stand up for your guys, but you can’t get lost in the officiating like Miles did. His guys followed. They got whacked.
When in doubt late in games, always foul and extend the game. It is absolutely brutal for the fans, but until there’s a rule change where that’s no longer the strategy down the stretch, fouling early is the right play. St. Louis was toast. They fouled. NC State missed a ton of free throws. They get back in the game. Win it in overtime. Especially when it’s 1-and-1. That’s real pressure.

Every detail matters in March. I still don't know why TJ Warren is in the game with 4 fouls when NC State had to foul. He fouled out. The Wolfpack had to try and complete the comeback without the ACC Player of the Year. That's poor coaching in my eyes.

Nobody is better out of timeouts than Bill Self. He steals points on dunks and layups, many of them lobs.  I can think of at least 3 plays yesterday and I was barely watching until the last 10 minutes. They resulted in 7 points. Kansas won by 11.

I was so lucky to be in San Antonio Friday night. I had a courtside seat to what Bryce Cotton did and Bryce Cotton deserved better. At least a chance to fling one from half court. He was the only reason they had a chance for the majority of that game and the game basically ended with the ball going off his hands out of bounds. Most of the time sports are awesome, fair and karma seems to exist. None of that happened with Cotton.

If you missed Luke Winn's piece on Wichita State in Sports Illustrated, I highly recommend it. Link here.

NBA Draft Implications

Duke's Jabari Parker told Andy Katz that his career is incomplete, and that could affect decision on whether to return for sophomore season. It’s easy to say that because it’s true, but it probably won't affect it enough to come back when he’s a lock to be a top 3 pick.
That said, don't be surprised when one player does exactly that. I know for a fact that Embiid saying he hasn't made up his mind isn't lip service because he's telling people privately he hasn't made up his mind. Embiid doesn't feel ready to leave school. College is about more than just your development in sport and Embiid realizes that. He's barely spent any time in the United States and he's said all year he just doesn't feel ready to be on his own out of the college structure. It's very similar to what Marcus Smart felt last year.
That was a bad end for Andrew Wiggins but don't overreact to it. He played all year with mediocre guards and someone getting you the ball matters. They were particularly brutal Sunday outside of Connor Frankamp hitting shots to keep KU alive. That said, the more concerning number is six, not four. Six is the number of shots he took. Four is the number of points he scored. Be more assertive. Then again that goes back in part to the guards. Wiggins defensive level is outrageous for a college freshman. That, plus a high amount of offensive raw skill is why he's a top 3 pick.
He also cares. He took every ounce of blame after that loss. That matters to me too. To me, he's a guy who's very coachable and can learn. He wanted to get better. He did. My only concern with Wiggins makeup is his shyness. The pressure is going to be there. He's gotta be able to deal with it. That said, it's a minor concern. He turned 19 a month ago. He's still so young. He'll grow up and mature and likely will be fine.

Tyler Ennis leaving Syracuse isn't surprising at all. Ennis's stock skyrocketed this year as he was unimaginably good in clutch situations through 25 games. The miracle shot against Pitt was a fun highlight, but he didn't turn the ball over in a clutch spot through 25 games. That's unreal for a freshman. Yes, he struggled in a few games late but that level wasn't sustainable. His appeal to NBA scouts is in his control. He understand pace. He has a deft touch around the rim. His game isn't reliant on athleticism, meaning the jump in athleticism from college to the NBA isn't the end of his effectiveness. He'll be in the lottery, perhaps even the top 10.
In Summary
I asked Dana O'Neill Saturday if that was the best first two days of the tournament we've ever seen. She said she couldn't think of a start of a tournament that was better. Then we got more amazing games Saturday and Sunday. It all starts up again tonight. All hail March and all its madness.

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.

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.

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.

Weekend Rewind - 1/28/13

Down goes Cuse

Syracuse is 1-2 against the city of Philadelphia this season and undefeated against everyone else. The good news? No more games against teams from Philly until at least the Big East Tournament. So that's nice.

SU lost Saturday thanks to a number of factors, most of which have and will continue to be discussed. For starters, SU didn't foul up 3 in the final seconds allowing Ryan Arcidiacono to hit a miracle shot and force overtime. At this point it's not even an argument of whether that's sound strategy as the numbers scream that it is. Jim Boeheim agrees, so why didn't he?

The reason is there wasn't really a spot to. Villanova got the ball up the court, took a terrible shot, missed and then got the offensive rebound. If you're going to make the foul argument, that would've been the spot to do it - before the Cats were able to get the ball back out. You'd never coach your team to do that though, so it would have taken an individual player taking that initiative and in that spot that's an absurd thing to ask. Instead you play defense and hope for the best. Arcidiacono hit an incredibly difficult shot. It happens.

Where Boeheim is perhaps more at fault is how he handled his rotation down the stretch that resulted in Baye Moussa-Keita and Jerami Grant being unavailable in the final minutes after fouling out. There's a school of thought that says "they're going to play a certain number of minutes, so let em play" and that's basically what Boeheim did. I'm in the other camp. See how long you can go without them and then when it's crunch time, come in for the save.

The result was Brandon Triche playing the back line and a severe lack of size that killed the Orange. While Triche is smart enough and big enough in terms of bulk to play down low, he can't protect the rim like the wings in SU's zone need to. Villanova had a few baskets right over the 6'4" guard. It mattered. A "solution" I thought of at the time and eventually threw out on Twitter yesterday was putting Michael Carter-Williams on the wing. MCW's nearly 6'7" and his length would have been an upgrade over Triche. 

The downsides though are plentiful and it's why I waffle on whether it would have actually been better. Carter-Williams would have been bullied, as Triche is massively stronger despite the lack of height. He's also excellent at the top of the zone and his ball pressure is a lot to give up. Last but not least, Triche is a four-year starter who knows the zone inside and out. There's a great chance MCW would've screwed up a few rotations. Triche was at least in the right spot every time.

The other obvious solution would have been Dajuan Coleman. The frosh has gotten the authentic highly recruited freshman treatment from Jim Boeheim like Fab Melo and Rakeem Christmas before him - start, play until you screw up 30 seconds in and sit on the bench for basically the rest of the game. Literally as I'm typing this, I (and everyone else who's ever covered SU) got an email saying Coleman's having knee surgery so maybe he wasn't an option after all but the larger problem still remains. For as awesome as the zone is, it's limiting in what you can do with a lineup. 

All of the other problems people scream about with Boeheim's 2-3 only mentality don't bother me. SU plays the 2-3 so well and morphs it so many ways, that they can cover a hot shooter. In late game situations, you might not be able to "lock down" on the guy with the ball, but you've eliminated so many plays that only work against man-to-man it's at least even if not an advantage for SU. That said, the option not to play 3 guards drives me insane. Last year, a lineup with Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche and Dion Waiters could've put up some serious numbers and caused other coaches nightmares. It barely ever happened because of the defensive implications meaning one of your best players always had to be on the bench.

This season's team breaks down differently as Trevor Cooney has been a massive disappointment. He'll have a fine career (I think), but it's been quite frankly astonishing how pathetic he's been shooting considering in warm-ups he can't miss. He can't play game speeds yet. 

James Southerland's return is, in a word, necessary. Boeheim has no problem playing 6 guys and at this point that's all he's got. Cooney's sole purpose is to give MCW and Triche a blow. Christmas, Moussa-Keita, C.J. Fair, Grant, Triche and Carter-Williams are the only guys that should see regular minutes. Winning a title with 6 guys isn't impossible but it's unlikely because if one guy gets in foul trouble you're in deep doo doo. If two are stuck, Saturday happens. With Southerland available, I'm not writing any of this.

You can't fault Boeheim for a lack of depth either. An eight man rotation is ideal and if Cooney doesn't flop and Southerland is eligible, that's what he's got thanks to Grant's stellar play. Outside of Coleman, there's not really another guy on the roster who you realistically wish got more run. The problem with Coleman is playing him moves Rak Christmas to a wing where he's dramatically worse as a defender or to the bench where he's...well...on the bench. Playing those two together slaughters your floor spacing on offense as well as both are useless outside the paint. Again, Southerland coming back solves all problems.

Down goes Rondo

The NBA world was shocked when we all found out Rajon Rondo is out for the year with a torn ACL. Immediately the "blow up the Celtics" talk began and I just don't know how realistic that is. Tomorrow I'll be doing a podcast so I'll save the bulk of my thoughts for that, but the question here to ponder is what was the goal of the Celtics this season? Did they really think they could win a title or did they want to stay relevant? Whatever that answer is frames the rest of the conversation.

Up go the Lakers

I reserve the right to change my mind by the end of the week, but I actually think this Lakers thing is going to work. I said in a previous post that if the Lakers played pickup ball they'd be better off than Mike D'Antoni's stupid system. Turns out, that's basically what they've done. The biggest question remaining is will Kobe be happy playing distributer. 

To quote Bryant: "We finally beat a team that's worth a s---" so he knows that playing that way works. J.A. Adande had a fascinating read on how every single one of the Lakers stars has changed how they've played their entire careers to make things work in the past week. To maintain that will be very difficult. When you've been successful, changing from what got you there is damn near impossible. However if the Lakers keep winning, this can work. Maybe I'm overreacting to two games, but I'll say the Lakers make the playoffs. The reason - if they keep playing, it's not a question of whether or not it will work. It will. The only question is will they continue to do it? To be determined…