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NBA: Moves in the Association, Capers and Look-Alikes
While everyone and their great grandma begins prepping for the fantasy football season, fantasy’s most underrated sport can get lost in the midst. Here’s a look at some of the NBA's summer transactions (not including the already highly-covered Elton Brand and Baron Davis signings), mixed among a few of my own personal grumblings. > The Nuggets were the second-worst defensive team last season. Marcus Camby was the runner-up for defensive player of the year and won the award two seasons ago. The Nuggets gave up Camby for nothing. You do the math. For real though, as my boy Shannon recently wrote about in his analysis of the Camby move, Nene’s value clearly increases, and it could force the Nuggets to utilize a smaller lineup that would have plenty of minutes to offer for Linas Kleiza and J.R. Smith. People will no doubt be excited about the potential of the electric Smith, and why not? He had a great second-half last year, should get even more opportunities this season as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid and get into Karl’s doghouse. It's always a nice bonus to own players who are fun to watch, and Smith is still the only player in the league that would be a top-10 candidate to win both the three-point and slam-dunk contest, for whatever it’s worth. > The Raptors could be quite the force in the East with their newly loaded frontcourt. If Jermaine O'Neal can stay healthy, he could post monster numbers alongside Chris Bosh, as well as Andrea Bargnani. The fact that he’s missed at least 30 games in three of the past four seasons obviously raises a big red flag, but there is no guarantee that he won’t be able to stay healthy. He averaged between 19.0-24.3 points, 8.8-10.5 rebounds and 2.0-2.6 blocks in the six seasons prior to last year. He could be a huge sleeper next year if people avoid him for too long on draft day. > I’m a big fruit guy. I love fruit. It’s healthy for you, and can often be quite sweet and tasty as well. With that said, by far the worst and most useless fruit is the caper. Yup, capers are classified as fruit, I was shocked as well. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, they’re the little green, dingleberry-looking, pickled thingies that are common in Mediterranean cuisine. > With O’Neal handled, why not talk about another super-injury-prone player from the same deal. One of my favorite pieces of apparel is my “vintage” T.J. Ford Milwaukee Bucks jersey, so I acknowledge that I may be a bit biased in my analysis of the guy. Needless to say, I love Ford and think that he’s one of the league’s top-10 point guards when healthy and still gives Monta Ellis and Leandro Barbosa a run for the designation of quickest player in the entire Association. Jamaal Tinsley is on his way out of Indiana and while Jarrett Jack and Travis Diener are respectable, Ford should still get 30-plus minutes a game if healthy. With the Pacers having averaged 104 points last season and carrying scorers like Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy on their roster to dish to, I expect career high totals in both points and assists for Ford. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him average 16 points and eight assists a game, and I think he has the ceiling to reach 20 and 11. > I’ve talked to a couple buddies who are eager about the potential Mickael Pietrus has with his move to Orlando, but I can’t say I share the excitement. He will log more minutes than he was getting with the Warriors but post just average defensive statistics for someone as athletic as himself, is a poor free throw shooter and hasn’t even reached one assist per game through his first three seasons. I also believe his game is better suited to Golden State's run-and-gun style than Orlando’s half-court offense that runs through Dwight Howard. > EA Sports’ first NCAA Football ’09 commercial during the home run derby was unquestionably the best ad I’ve ever seen for a sports video game. It was flawless. If you happened to be paying attention to the commercials between Josh Hamilton’s slugfest and Justin Morneau’s unheralded victory, you should know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, then here it is. Of the six people I was watching the derby with, two bought the game the next day as a direct response to the ad. > Speaking of the MLB All-Star break, here’s my suggestion to modify the game to avoid the possible disaster of having a completely depleted bullpen. Add three roster spots for pitchers and have each manager select the top-3 middle relievers or setup men available, as these guys hardly ever get a chance to make the All-Star roster. You only need to pitch them if completely necessary. Another thing I’d like to see implemented, although it’d never happen, would be to change the rules, just for the All-Star game, and allow position players to re-enter the game if it goes into extra innings. The game is very meaningful, let the stars determine the outcome. > I was elated at the Warriors’ signing of Marcus Williams. I was incredibly high on the guy coming out of college and while he hasn’t done much in the NBA yet, I still love his potential. With Baron Davis, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and possibly Kelenna Azubuike all departed from G-State’s backcourt, Williams should become the fourth option behind only Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette for the one, two and three spots on the court. As long as those guys don’t play 48 minutes a game, Williams should see a good amount of playing time and is a talented scorer and passer. The Warriors also averaged over 15 points per game more than the Nets last season. > Richard Jefferson moves from New Jersey to Milwaukee, and while he sports a new jersey, his fantasy value remains the same. Both teams scored about the same number of points (Nets 95.8, Bucks 97.0) and have similar backcourts that feature high-scoring, shoot-first twos (Vince Carter, Michael Redd) and young, up-and-coming playmakers at the point (Devin Harris, Mo Williams). It can often be risky, in any fantasy sport, when a productive player switches destinations, but I see Jefferson's move as a moot point.
> I have the uncanny ability to search out look-alikes that exist in the wide world of sports and will attempt to provide one in each of my future posts. This week's: MLB: MLB Notes I didn’t aggressively pursue Chad Billingsley in drafts this year because I felt his command left him still a ways off from dominance, but after another 3.5 months of seasoning, it’s time to start treating him as an elite starter. His control still comes and goes, but Billingsley’s 9.81 K/9 IP mark is the best in baseball. Over his last five starts, he has a 2.45 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP with a 38:11 K:BB ratio. He’s going to win a Cy Young someday. Ian Stewart isn’t a bad pickup in medium-deeper sized leagues. He’s currently hitting toward the bottom of the Rockies’ lineup, but he should see significant playing time with Todd Helton sidelined, and it sounds like that could be for a while. Still just 23 years old, Stewart had 19 homers and slugged .607 in Triple-A this season, and he obviously has the benefit of Coors Field on his side. He’s even eligible at second base in some leagues (Yahoo). Josh Johnson is going to be inconsistent during his first season back from Tommy John surgery, but he’s a must-add in most leagues anyway. Showing terrific promise before getting injured during his rookie season, Johnson is now reaching 96-97 mph on the radar gun. It’s not that the actual Tommy John procedure adds to your fastball, it’s just that pitchers returning from it are finally throwing at 100 percent, and even though he wasn’t considered injured during the first part of that 2006 season, like all pitchers, his arm had some wear and tear. Now, it’s back to being fresh. The added velocity makes Johnson someone to watch moving forward. Speaking of injured arms, I’m curious to see if the time off did Ian Snell any good. His numbers haven’t shown any improvement during three starts since coming off the DL, but he claims he’s feeling the best he has all season. His .367 BABIP is the second highest mark in all of baseball, so maybe some correction is due. However, his 5.20 BB/9 IP mark is the very worst in baseball, so he’ll need to also drastically improve his command for it to happen. Snell’s probably more hurt than he’s letting on. Free Dallas McPherson! The guy leads professional baseball with 32 homers, and he’s also chipped in 12 steals as well. He has a career .972 OPS in 2,139 minor league at-bats. Jorge Cantu obviously deserves to stay in Florida’s lineup, but the Marlins should be selling Mike Jacobs, or some other team should be after McPherson. Of course, the Giants could have had him for free before the season started but instead elected for Jose Castillo, whose defense might actually be worse than his career .300 OBP. Speaking of the Giants and ineptitude, Bruce Bochy’s recent handling of Tim Lincecum was beyond deplorable. Making his first start after being hospitalized, Bochy brought Lincecum back out for the seventh inning Sunday even though he was approaching 110 pitches already and left him in to rack up a total of 121 – the second most of his career. This wouldn’t even make sense in a pennant race, but given the fact SF is rebuilding, this decision was as insane as Scientology. Last Giants rant – I promise. Over 157 at-bats this season, Omar Vizquel has four extra-base hits. Four! His .191 slugging percentage is dead last in major league baseball by a mile. How good is Scott Baker? Over his last four starts, he’s posted a 24:3 K:BB ratio and nearly hurled a perfect game. His 5.07:1 K:BB ratio is the third best mark in the game. Imagine how bad Homer Bailey would be if he wasn’t so lucky. He has a 6.29 ERA yet a .260 BABIP in the bigs this season. Since he’s also struggled in the minors all year, it’s long past time to start seriously worrying about his future. The loss in velocity is a big deal, evidenced by his 3.33 K/9 IP mark. He’s also done his first name proud, serving up 2.96 HR/9 IP. It’s too late (or improbable) to sell Todd Wellemeyer in most leagues, but he might cease being useful even in NL-only versions soon enough. One of baseball’s best surprises over the first two months, Wellemeyer simply wore down, as he had never thrown even 90 innings in a season before this year. He hasn’t struck out more than three batters in any of his past six outings and is throwing less and less in between starts, as his arm gets increasingly sore. Soon, he’s not going to throw any side sessions at all. He’s not lasting the season. Despite a career 2.86 ERA, Huston Street has converted 78 percent of his save opportunities. To put that in perspective, Brian Wilson currently sports a 4.93 ERA but has successfully converted 93 percent of his save chances. Closers are a weird beast. Posted by Dalton Del Don at 7/22/2008 3:23:00 PM Comments (13) NBA: NBA Summer League: Booms and Busts “Stats don’t lie” should be the official motto for all fantasy players. You win or lose championships on the stats that your players put up in the box score. When do stats lie? The answer is simple: during the NBA summer league. Every year, a collection of rookies, developmental players and aging journeymen meet up in Las Vegas to try to impress the NBA brass. Many of these players are playing for a contract or more playing time. The competition (or lack of) produces players who put up Jordan-esque numbers. The talk of Sin City last year was Marco Belinelli. The three-point shooting Italian lit up the summer league with a 22.8 scoring average. After hitting 10 three-pointers in his first two games, prospective fantasy owners and Don Nelson were left salivating at the thought of Belinelli in their lineups. Belinelli became a sleeper in most drafts. In dire need of a three-point assassin, I succumbed to my summer league induced delirium and selected him with my last pick in multiple leagues. Once the regular season tipped off, the stats Belinelli put up during summer league were just another mirage in the Nevada desert. He averaged 2.9 points with 0.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 33 games during the regular season. It didn’t take long for owners to give up on Belinelli. Not all summer league standouts end up as busts in the regular season. Players such as Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay backed up solid summer league performances with breakout seasons. Kevin Martin was one player who translated a great summer league performance into the regular season. Martin averaged 10.8 points per game in 2005-06. He became a decent option off the bench for the Kings, but offered little fantasy value at that point. The following summer, Martin averaged 22.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. The improvement carried over to the regular season and resulted in Martin finishing second to Monta Ellis for the 2006-07 NBA Most Improved Player Award. After being passed up in most drafts, Martin became a fantasy gold mine by nearly doubling the previous season’s scoring average. How do you tell which players are for real? The easiest way is looking at rosters and evaluating the depth charts. In the NBA, production equals minutes – players that are on the court, get the stats. The following list is made up of players who put up eye-popping numbers in Las Vegas this year. Let’s try to weed out the real McCoy (Martin) from the flash in a pan (Belinelli). McCoys Jerryd Bayless, PG/SG, POR Bayless was the talk of the town this past week in Las Vegas. The rookie Trailblazer led the summer league in scoring with 29.8 ppg. His hot shooting performance led to Bayless being named the T-Mobile NBA Summer League Top Rookie. The transition from summer league to regular season should be easier for Bayless than most other rookies. Bayless has the benefit of playing along a burgeoning superstar – Brandon Roy – and won’t be asked to put the team on his shoulders. Roy should make a nice backcourt pairing with Bayless, helping with the ball-handling duties. Other rookies have put up staggering summer league numbers only to disappoint when it counts (Ever heard of Randy Foye?), but few have been in a position to succeed such as Bayless. He will start the season battling Steve Blake for playing time, but should break into the starting lineup early in the year. With a nucleus of Bayless, Roy, Aldridge and Greg Oden, the Blazers have one of the brightest futures in the NBA. Kevin Love, PF/C, MIN, Love was a great player at UCLA, but many have questioned how well his game will transition to the NBA. The knocks against Love have been his weight problem and the fact that he is a big man who plays below the rim. The conditioning questions were answered when Love showed up at the draft 20 lbs lighter. The below the rim issue won’t be solved until NBA officials allow players to place ladders by the buckets or Love signs an endorsement deal with Strength Shoes. Despite his battle with gravity, Love dominated the glass in summer league with a league-leading 13.5 average. He also faired well filling up the basket at a clip of 18 ppg. The Timberwolves aren’t deep in the front-court and should provide Love with plenty of minutes right off the bat. It’s highly unlikely that Love will ever be a 20/10 type, but he should be able to put up David Lee-like numbers immediately. Ramon Sessions, PG, MIL, Sessions should be a familiar name for fantasy owners – he provided value towards the end of last season by averaging 8.1 points and 7.5 assists. The Bucks are in a transition period with a new president and head coach. Head coach Scott Skiles likes a point guard who can get others involved and that is exactly Sessions forte. After last year’s surprise production, Session continued his dime dropping ways in summer league. Sessions led the summer league with 7.3 per game. His 15.3 ppg showed that his isn’t a one-trick pony. The Bucks will start the season with Mo Williams at point guard, but don’t be surprised if Sessions unseats him at some point. Williams could become a Ben Gordon-type scoring option off the bench for the Bucks when Sessions take the helm. Flashes Jason Smith, PF, PHI and Marreese Speights, PF/C, PHI Smith averaged 15.6 points and 8 rebounds during summer league. He showed improvement in his range by knocking down open jump shots. Speights bettered his teammate with averages of 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds. What’s not to like about the two young big men? A lack of playing time. With Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, Reggie Evans and Thaddeus Young ahead of the youngsters on the depth chart, it will take a trade or injury for Smith and Speights to see significant run. Remember their names for future seasons but don’t expect much this year. Wilson Chandler, F, NY The Knicks are another team that is in flux. Chandler gave the Knicks a glimpse of their future with his line of 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in five summer league games. The problem is that his game might not mesh well with the direction the team is headed in. New head coach Mike D’Antoni will try to instill his fast paced offense that relies on three-point shooting. Chandler hit two shots from downtown during summer league action, but showed that he is better at attacking the rim. Quentin Richardson played small forward for D’Antoni in Phoenix and reportedly has spent the offseason on his conditioning. Expect Richardson to see the majority of minutes at small forward as the Knicks try to take advantage of his skills from the arc. Donte Green, F, HOU Let’s take a look at the some of the players on the Rockets’ summer league roster: Michael Harris, Bradley Kanis, Joseph Jones, and Chris Daniels. The next logical question would begin with a “Who?". The Rockets needed someone to pick up the scoring slack and Green decided to answer the bell by putting up 22.6 ppg.
Green showed an ability to hit the long range shot – he nailed 14 three-pointers in five games – but also showed that he needs a ton of shots to score. He threw up an alarming 87 shots in the five summer league contests. Do you think he’ll get that many running with Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston? If Green becomes a more efficient shooter, he might develop into a fantasy asset along the way. Don’t expect it to happen during his rookie season.
NBA: What Happens in Vegas... ...gets talked about in blogs! OK, so that's not exactly how the Vegas marketing statement goes, but it works better in this space. I made my yearly sojourn to Vegas this week to check out some basketball Summer League games, and help me get a jump start on evaluating what rookies might be fantasy relevant this season. This year I plan to do individual capsule blogs on the various rookies, so I'll put my on-court impressions there in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, let me give you a taste of why in Vegas it can be more fun to pay attention to what is going on off the court. The Summer Leagues are an interesting mix of young studs with guaranteed contracts, young players trying to hustle themselves onto an NBA roster, and vets that never made it and are just trying to get work. Likewise, the stands are full of an interesting mix as well. There are the coaches and GMs evaluating talent, there are journalists and bloggers looking for angles, there are agents and entourages looking to attach themselves to new talent, and there are groupies that are on a different kind of hunt. And just by being in the arena, an average fan can be right in the middle of the action since the players themselves walk around the arena and sit in the stands. I was scouting the games with Dalton Del Don, and when we first got to the gym we spotted a group of extremely attractive young ladies walk in. We immediately pegged them as either player girlfriends, or “players” that wanted to be girlfriends. Sure enough, before the afternoon was over I saw one of the group trying to talk to Renaldo Balkman at the concession stand. As I walked down a hallway I saw J.R. Smith talking with a group of older guys, laughing with them about how silly it was that Smith “of all people” played some point guard for the Nuggets last season when it is well known how much he likes to shoot and hates to pass. But the best behind-the-scenes action happened while I was taking notes during the Grizzlies/Spurs game. I was sitting in the last seat of an aisle, and a few rows up from me across the aisle were a few of the Suns players and a group of females. At one point one of the players came out to the aisle and was talking to someone a few steps up from me. One of the young ladies he was sitting with approached him and started fussing him out for paying too much attention to the other girls. They walked down a couple of steps to get further away from their group…which put them directly on the step next to my right shoulder. They were so close that even with their voices lowered I couldn’t help but hear every word so clearly that I almost felt like I should join in. Here is a paraphrased transcript of their conversation, with cuss words removed… Girl: “I can’t believe you were talking so much to that other … (girl) all up in my face.” Player: (monotone) “You’re overreacting.” Girl: (voice raising)“Overreacting, nothing. You can’t be disrespecting me like that.” Player: (monotone) “You’re overreacting.” Girl: (voice an angry hiss) “I’m getting sick of you! This is going to be all over California now…they’re gonna be saying I can’t even handle my man.” Player: (monotone) “You’re overreacting.” (As he walks away from her and leaves her in place fuming). Ah, Las Vegas. Ah, Summer League. Only here would the action off the court be so much more interesting than the action on it. Posted by Professor at 7/20/2008 12:59:00 PM Comments (5) NBA: Marcus Camby to the Clippers The Denver Nuggets must have been jealous of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies’ trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Critteron, Marc Gasol and two first-round picks cemented the Grizzlies place in the “Losers of Lopsided Trades Hall of Fame”. Denver wasn’t content with a mere plaque being hung in the “LOLTHOF” -- the Nuggets wanted an entire wing built to showcase their own bungling ways. On July 15, The Nuggets traded Marcus Camby to the Los Angeles Clippers for the right to exchange second-round picks in 2010. In unrelated news, the Clippers also sold the Nuggets a bridge. The 2006-07 Defensive Player of the Year was traded as part of a salary dump. Denver’s wing is currently under construction. Even the Grizzlies were smart enough to get a couple of first-round picks in return for their salary dump. What are the fantasy ramifications of Denver’s blue light special? Let’s take a look. Denver Nuggets With Camby out of the picture, the obvious beneficiary is Nene. The artist formerly known as Mr. Hilario will fill the void in the middle. Nene showed he could produce during the 2006-07 season by averaging 12.7 points and 7.0 rebounds while only playing 26.8 minutes per game. The problem with Nene has always been his inability to stay healthy. Appearing in 81 of 246 games the past three seasons should scare away many potential owners. One option for the Nuggets will be to go with a small lineup. The Nuggets had the second-worst defense in the NBA last season, giving up 106.95 points per game. Let’s assume that by giving away a player who has made the NBA All Defensive First or Second Team each of the past four years makes that defense worse -- the Nuggets are going to have to revert to their high-scoring ways of the 80’s. A small-ball lineup for the Nuggets would likely consist of Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony, Linas Kleiza, Allen Iverson and Anthony Carter. Chucky Atkins and J.R. Smith would also figure into the rotation. The tricky part is trying to figure out which players are going to benefit from Camby’s absence. Iverson and Anthony are going to continue to take the majority of shots for the Nuggets. Camby’s departing eights shots per game will likely go to somebody other than the big two. A.I. will probably put up numbers in the same neighborhood as last season’s 26.4 ppg and 7.1 asst. If Iverson drops off a bit, it should be attributed to his age(33). Melo set a career-high by averaging 7.4 rebounds per game in 2007-08. Expect him to set another personal best next season with Camby off the boards. Camby was the team leader in rebounds five years in a row and someone will need to step up on the glass. Between Nene’s health and lack of other options, Anthony should come closer to the mouth watering rebound totals he put up as a freshman at Syracuse. The two biggest gainers from the switch to a smaller lineup would be Kleiza and Smith. Both players are chuckers from behind the arc. Kleiza made 93 three-pointers last season and should easily top the century mark next season. Smith is a restricted free agent, but is likely to return to the Nuggets. He has been a great source of three-pointers the past two seasons, drilling 306 at a 39.6 success rate. His three-pointers and scoring will both be on the up swing as the Nuggets rely even more heavily on offensive output next season. Los Angeles Clippers For those that don’t know about the Clippers eventful summer, here it goes:
- Elton Brand opts out of contract but says he intends to re-sign with the Clippers. “Will you trade us Marcus Camby?” asked Elgin Baylor. “What will we get in return?” replied Mark Warkentien. “Nothing,” said Baylor. “I don’t think that is enough for a former NBA Defensive player of the Year,” said Warkentien. “How about we swap second-round picks in a couple of years?” said Baylor as he slowly revealed a familiar 2x4 and whacked Warkentien into submission. “Sounds like a deal,” choked Warkentien. With the Camby in the fold, the Clippers become an interesting team from a fantasy perspective. Camby will team with Chris Kaman to clog the paint. Expect a lot of opponents to settle for jump shots. Camby will continue to be the same fantasy asset that he was in Denver. The double-digit rebounds that left with Brand will be assumed by Camby. He will carry rebounds and block categories single-handedly. As long as the notoriously injury-prone Camby can stay healthy, he will produce from a fantasy standpoint. More difficult to replace will be Brand’s 20 ppg. The main beneficiary from a scoring standpoint will be Kaman. The K-monster averaged career-highs of 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds while Brand was out with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The previous season when Brand was healthy, Kaman’s scoring average was only 10.1 ppg. Camby might take away some boards, but Kaman should continue to score 15+ points per game. Baron Davis will be the same player he was with the Warriors. Don’t worry about coach Mike Dunleavy putting the reins on Davis -- Dunleavy let Sam Cassell run loose the past couple of years. Al Thornton and rookie Eric Gordon stand to be the two players that could gain the most from the recent roster moves. With Brand and Maggette gone, the Clippers will be looking for scoring from these two young players. Thornton averaged 16 points and 5.7 rebounds after the All-Star break last season. With a full season under his belt, Thornton should see his game jump to another level next season. He offers a rare 3pt/blk combination that could make him next year’s Rudy Gay or Danny Granger-type breakout player. Gordon will be behind Cutino Mobley on the depth chart to begin the season. He will provide the Clippers with scoring of the bench early in the season before working his way into the starting lineup as the Clippers fall out of the playoff picture. Keep an eye on him, but he’s probably a year or two away from being a fantasy star.
Time to go check in with Camby owners and see if they will accept an offer of Brian Scalabrine for the Cambyman.
GEN: On the Road with the Tour Don't know if anyone's out there watching the Tour de France, but I'll give you the quick recap in case you get stuck talking to a cycling fan at a cocktail party this weekend. And what a party that must be where cycling fans are invited. You know those parties where the illegal stuff is going on behind a closed bedroom door? Invite a cycling fan inside and you get some serious chemicals going on. After 12 stages, the pre-race favorite, Cadel Evans of Australia and Silence Lotto is wearing yellow. He survived a Stage 9 crash to ride well in the Pyrenees, overtaking leader Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg, Team Columbia) on the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet and Hautacam in Stage 10. He's been in yellow for two days and is expected to keep the lead until the Tour moves to the Alps for Stages 14 through 17 on Saturday. He could keep the maillot jaune through the Alps, but there will be a lot of attacks and several HC (hors category) climbs, including l'Alpe D'Huez. That's like the most revered climb in the sport, though it's not quite the toughest. Still, it will be the third climb on a long day. The last major hurdle will be an individual time trial next week. These are stages where the most time can be made up. If you haven't been watching the Tour on Versus, they've been pimping American cycling since Stage 1 in Brest. There are two teams based in the States, and they have some good riders, but the overkill is ridiculous. Even the announcers, the wonderful Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin, have to hype Team Columbia and Garmin Chipotle. Phil and Paul are fun to listen to. It helps that they have British accents. They're very earnest and knowledgeable about the sport and it shows. They each have favorite phrases and trot them out endlessly to describe the action, which doesn't change for hours. You'd repeat yourself, too, if you had to commentate. Chirstian Valdevelde of Garmin Chipotle is the highest-ranking American in third place, 38 seconds behind Evans and 37 seconds behind Frank Schlek of Luxembourg and Team CSC Saxo Bank. It was another day for the sprinters on Friday. These are the flat stages that typically end with the fastest guys on wheels in an all out sprint to the finish line. There have been four pure flat stages so far and all have been won by Brit Mark Cavendish of Team Columbia. He's become the pre-eminent sprinter in the sport today, overtaking Robbie McEwan of Australia (Silence Lott) and Thor Hushovd of Norway (Credit Agricole). Sprinters are only good on these flat stages. Put them in the mountains and they melt. They all fall back into a group and just try to survive a mountain stage. As a matter of fact, there's a name for the group that goes into cruise control and just survives a stage. The French call it the "l'autobus." Oh yeah, for those of you counting: three riders have been disqualified for the illegal blood-booster EPO. The most recent was Wednesday when Ricardo Ricco of Italy and Saunier Duval was booted. The team immediately withdrew from the race after its leader was arrested. This guy won two stages, was the leader of the polka-dot jersey (for best climber) and the white jersey (best young rider under 25). Yup, it was another black day on the Tour.
But I'll continue to watch. I'm just naive enough to think some of these accomplishments are untainted. NFL: Alex Smith Will Be a Top-10 QB in 2008 Okay, I don't really think that, but one of our editors, Derek VanRiper tipped me off to an interesting article in the Press Democrat. In it, there's a quote from Smith's coach at Utah, Urban Meyer, right after Smith was drafted in 2005. Meyer said: "Alex is an extremely quick learner. However, he's a guy that, until he understands it, he is nonfunctional. He is a guy that -- I keep hearing how Brett Favre kind of makes something out of nothing and is a person that runs around to make a play -- Alex Smith is not that kind of player. Alex Smith is a person that, once he is taught, has to learn it all. He might struggle early, but once he gets it, he gets it." The paper goes on to write: One point Smith made this offseason when talking about the new system is that Mike Martz leaves nothing to chance. Smith said that Martz gives the quarterbacks all the answers. If this and this and this happens, then the quarterback has been taught exactly what to do. That seems to be exactly the kind of system in which Smith can thrive. . Many quarterbacks have struggled out of the gate, and the article cites Steve Young's terrible first two years in Tampa, too. Again, the odds are always against a breakout, but this guy was the No. 1 overall pick. And if you said Derek Anderson was going to be a top-10 QB last year at this time, it would have been just as ridiculous.
NFL: Free Brett Favre I'm as sick as anyone of the obsequious ass-kissing that Favre's received over the past 10 years by all manner of media, but in this case, what's Packers' GM Ted Thompson thinking? You can understand why the Packers would want to move on, having relied on Favre's word that he was retiring and spending the spring getting Aaron Rodgers first-team work and drafting Brian Brohm. But having moved on, and hearing, understandably that Favre has changed his mind and wants to play, why not just release him and let him do it? Who is Ted Thompson to prevent Brett Favre from playing another NFL season? The three-time MVP averaged 7.8 yards per attempt last year and lost in overtime in the NFC title game. If he wants to play, he deserves a shot to land a job somewhere. Now one could argue that Thompson doesn't want to improve the competition, and perhaps he's particularly worried that Favre would push the Vikings over the top, but so what? If Favre's really that great, then maybe the Packers should consider letting him start another year. If they think Rodgers is the better option for a playoff-caliber team, then what's there to worry about? No one's shaking in their boots about facing Rodgers. So if he's a better option than Favre in Thompson's mind, let the Vikings stall Tarvaris Jackson's development if they're interested. Or let some other team have him. But it's ridiculous for Thompson to try to prevent a legend from playing for several teams that would no doubt love to have him.
At the very least, they should be trying to trade Favre, and let it be known they'll take whatever the highest bid is. If it's a fourth-rounder, so be it.
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