Month: February 2015

NBA Cornerstones: Point Guard

Chris McGlynn Basketball, Cornerstones, NBA , , , ,

Cornerstone players will be a recurring theme on Second Look Sports where I look at each position in a certain sport and I choose a cornerstone player to build my franchise around. I will have a couple of parameters for this selection though I will factor in age, potential, injury history, experience, reputation and production. I think it should be a fun and interesting topic to discuss on here. I hope that you guys agree.

I thought I would start first with the NBA. This is one of the smaller size professional teams as far as American sports go. So without further ado, let’s get going with this one.

The selection: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Honorable mentions: Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook

This took a little bit of thinking. Curry still has probably another five or six years of his prime left in him. The longevity factor is there, which makes Curry a logical choice. Outside of the 2011 lockout year, the former Davidson guard has played in at least 74 games every season. That is not perfect but I will take that over the uncertainty of Rose. Curry also has the potential to still improve a little bit in his career. His potential to improve his passing is there. He has been a good distributor already but he has the potential to grow into a great one. His defensive presence is lacking as well and could definitely use a boost.

Now, Paul is a better passer. He fills the role of pure point guard a bit better than Curry does. However, the Clippers guard does not score anywhere close to as much as Curry does. Curry also finds a way to do it at an efficient level. The 26-year old has shot 47 percent from the field over his 6-year NBA career. That is much better than Westbrook or Lillard, who both sit around 43% for their career. He is also a deadeye from beyond the arc. If the 2015 season ended today, it would be the first time Curry ever finished below 40 percent shooting from 3-point territory. Even still, it would only be at 39.9 percent. He has also been solid from the line over his 6 years as well shooting a shade under 90 percent. Shooting wise, Curry might be the best guard in the NBA (maybe other than Kyle Korver). He is a marksman on the court and efficiently destroys teams.
With his shooting abilities, Golden State’s leading scorer is also eighth in scoring for the league this year. The only other point guard in the top 20 is Lillard, but he ranks eleventh. Westbrook does not qualify yet because he has not played enough games in 2015 due to injury. Since 2012, Curry has scored more than 22 points per game in every season. His career average at this point is now up to over 20 a game.  Curry also has hit the most three pointers of any point guard so far this season, again slightly ahead of Lillard. The man can score and likely will continue to do so at a high rate.

Curry also has proven he can develop into a floor general. He is not as good as Paul is in this respect but well above average. Curry has averaged about 6.8 assists per night throughout his career and he is improving, as that number for each of the last two years was 8.5 and 8.1 respectively. He has some better pieces around him in California now so we should see Curry posting between 8 and 9 assist per night. Those are not eye-popping numbers but they are very good for a player regarded more as a shoot first point guard. The 2015 All Star also has some very talented dribbling abilities. He can break down players in the open court and will occasionally break a player’s ankles. Curry has also averaged just over three turnovers per game for his career, which is a solid number for a player with a usage rating of over 25 percent.

I think overall Curry is probably one of the top three point guards in the NBA. The other two are probably Paul and Westbrook. Paul is a better passer and scores efficiently but he is not a dominant scorer. Westbrook is an athletic playmaker who has an uncanny ability to get to the basket, he also can put up a lot of assists playing for the Thunder but he is a streaky and overall average at best shooter. Curry is a combination of the two. He has the athletic ability to give slower guards some problems and he is an incredible shooter who will make contested baskets. Curry does have some shortcomings with his defensive game needing a little bit of work. It is beginning to improve but overall it is fairly weak. Westbrook, Paul and Rose all play much better defense. He also lacks experience when it comes to playing deep into the playoffs. Only Westbrook and Rose really have that experience. So, while the pick isn’t perfect, I am sticking to it. My first NBA cornerstone player has to be Steph Curry.

Assigning NFL Honors

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , , , , , ,

The fourth annual NFL Honors ceremony is a week from tonight in Phoenix, Arizona. The ceremony is a big publicity event that the NFL has modelled similar to the Grammy’s or Oscar’s announcing all of the various award winners for the season. Like all award shows, there are tons of celebrities and a comedic personality hosting the show, this year being Seth Meyers. The real reason fans tune in though is to see who has been given the big awards for the year. Here is who I think should take home this year’s batch of trophies.

AP Most Valuable Player: Tony Romo, Cowboys
This has been one of the most difficult to determine MVP races in a few years. My pick this year though has to be Romo. The Cowboys’ quarterback finished the year with the best completion percentage, highest yards per attempt average and top passer rating. He did all of this while battling through a tough back injury that plagued him throughout the season. Romo also took care of the ball throwing only nine interceptions. What really validates Romo as the MVP was his five game winning drives, which tied for the league lead. He led the Cowboys to their first playoff berth since 2011 as well. He was the best player in the league this year.

AP Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians, Cardinals
If I had told you that the Cardinals were going to win the NFC West this year back in September, you would’ve laughed at me. While they did not win it, only losing on a tiebreaker with Seattle, they finished tied for the best record in the league and made the playoffs despite losing the first two quarterbacks on their depth chart. That is a testament to the hard work of Arians. His team managed 12 wins this year despite having one of the most banged up offenses in the league. The Cardinals defense was simply incredible in some games this season and Arizona’s coach found some creative ways to move the ball offensively. Even when backed up against a wall, he succeeded. There is no doubt that Arians was the best coach in football this year.

AP Offensive Player of the Year: LeVeon Bell, Steelers
You can argue DeMarco Murray all you want, but when you play behind the road grading line that he had this year, you should do well. Plus the guy fumbled it five times this year. Meanwhile, Bell never fumbled the ball on any of his 290 carries or 83 receptions. Bell also averaged the same number of yards per carry so it stands to reason that he could have had Murray’s same production if had the same number of attempts. What really sets Bell apart is his versatility; he was a threat on the ground and through the air. Bell finished only 46 yards from scrimmage behind Murray, despite having 73 fewer touches. Bell was impressive and effective on his way to being the best offensive player in the league.

AP Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt, Texans
This one is absolutely no contest. Watt was far and away the best player on the defensive side of the football this season. He finished the season with over 20 sacks, the most tackles by a defensive lineman and the most pass deflections by a defensive lineman as well. He was a disruptive force yet again with his big play ability, scoring two defensive touchdowns, one on an interception and one on a fumble recovery. Watt showed a knack for forcing turnovers as well with his four forced fumbles and five recoveries. It is not set in stone, but this is the most sure thing at the NFL Honors ceremony.

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Odell Beckham Jr., Giants
And he only needed 12 games to do it. He could even make a case as the best overall receiver this season. Beckham had over 90 catches, 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns. Every single one of those totals ranks in the top 10 for the NFL this season. The Giants’ rookie also had the most receiving yards per game by any player in the league. He also had the highlight reel catch of the decade thus far. No one deserves the award more than the New York wideout and I think he will walk away with it next Saturday.

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: C.J. Mosely, Ravens
People are clamoring for Khalil Mack here but I think Mosely had the better season. The Ravens linebacker racked up 133 tackles this year, good for seventh in the NFL. He also had 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble. He became the backbone of a stout Baltimore rush defense allowing the fourth fewest rushing yards per game. He was also named a Pro Bowler, the first Ravens rookie ever to be named one. Considering Ray Lewis played for this franchise, that is downright impressive.

AP Comeback Player of the Year: Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
You have to look at Gronk and wonder, “Wait he was hurt last year?” The Patriots tight end looked fairly fluid with how he moved around the field this season. His credentials for the award speaks for itself. He finished with the fourth most receptions, the most receiving yards and tied for the most receiving touchdowns among tight ends. He made some spectacular catches and proved once again that he is a very solid blocking tight end. Gronk roared back to life this year and should be awarded for his triumphant comeback.
Those are all of the top awards. There are several other ones to be named that night but these are the ones that are the most talked about. So now, I want to know if I got them right. Let me know what you think.

NBA All Star voting flaws

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NBA , , , , , , , , ,

The NBA announced whom the fans selected to participate in the 2015 All Star Game. The Eastern Conference squad features John Wall, Kyle Lowry, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Pau Gasol. The Western Conference side consists of Stephan Curry, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol. As always, there were some noticeable omissions from the lineup. On top of that, a couple of names made the list who were very debatable. Now, as everyone will want to know, who were the biggest names left off the list and who should have been left off the team entirely? I am not sold on how well the fans did at selecting these teams. Let’s take a look at the shortcomings.

For some context, this is just the preliminary roster with Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer set to name the reserves early next week. That means that some of the notable snubs will be added in that round of selections. Kerr is likely to add Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in addition to Clippers guard Chris Paul. For Budenholzer, he will likely name Heat forward Chris Bosh, Bulls guard Derrick Rose and Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving.

Another name that should crop up is James Harden, who more than likely should have been a starter over Bryant for the West team. This is a huge oversight by the fans. On his own merits, Bryant should never have been added to this roster, and definitely not as a starter. I have spouted off previously about Kobe and his steadily declining play. Meanwhile, Harden is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season piloting Houston to a tie with the Clippers for fifth in the Western Conference. The Rockets guard has averaged an NBA-leading 27.2 points per game along with 6.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds while converting the sixth most three pointers. Defensively, Harden has stepped up his game too with career highs in blocks and steals. Harden also ranks first in Win Shares and fifth in Player Efficiency Rating among starters. It makes no sense to me that he is not on this list and Bryant is instead, despite him having a disappointing year. Bryant will not be playing for the team anymore due to a torn rotator cuff and Harden should be his replacement.

The other glaring issue with the rosters is the makeup of the West’s starting five. You have Curry and for arguments sake, let’s say Harden. Then you have Griffin, Davis and Marc Gasol. Those last three are big men who play best as either a power forward or center. None of them could really make it as a small forward. So somewhere in this starting five, Kerr has to find a small forward for game day; there is not one there though. Griffin is the closest thing he has to a small forward and he would have his hands full playing against either Melo or LeBron, whomever he covers. The system of voting has left the Western team in a bind not really creating a true All Star lineup. I have always felt that the team should have a player from each position rather than general labels like guard and forward. That might be my opinion but it definitely would make for a cleaner lineup.

I do not have an issue with the selection that many people, most notably Charles Barkley, have openly disputed. Carmelo Anthony should absolutely be starting in the Eastern Conference. If this were similar to the NFL Pro Bowl, where the teams are not sorted by conference, then Melo likely would not make the cut. Under this current format, he is the best option available, and it is not even close. Anthony is second for forwards in scoring in the East with 24 points per game. The next highest scorer is Tobais Harris only averaging 18 points a contest. Melo is also tied for third with Paul Millsap for most assists per game behind only James and Joe Johnson. There is not a player in the East who has better qualifications as a starter.

The All Star game is still almost a month away and the rosters will be much more scrutinized once the reserves are announced. The All Star game does not stand for much but being named All Star is validation of your accomplishments as a player. Based on the immense split of talent between the East and West maybe it is time for the Association to adoptteams that are not conference specific allowing for truly the best players to compete in the game. Keep an eye for a list of the biggest snubs next week when the rest of the rosters are announced.

MLU institutes unique program to expand fan base

Chris McGlynn MLU, Ultimate

It is hard to make it as an expansion sports league in the United States, particularly with a sport with which much of the population is not very familiar. These new leagues are often willing to attempt some unique ideas that have never been previously tested. It is their way of searching for a competitive edge. Major League Ultimate (if you are unfamiliar, click here) is attempting to increase its fan base, so the league decided to buck convention and employ an original method to fill the stands. I was intrigued by the program MLU is implementing so I decided to take a look at it, weighing both the pros and cons.

Over the two seasons since MLU’s inception in 2012, the league average for attendance has been just over 1,000 fans per game. That’s not bad for a startup league but that number desperately needs to improve if the league has any real hopes of sustaining itself. They know that too which is why they are using a new fan promotion system. This program encourages already existing fans to bring new fans to the stadium with them by giving them a cut of the profit. The league via an email containing a fan code contacted each fan who came to a game last year in the MLU. If people distribute the fan code to their friends and family not only will it give those who use it a discount on the ticket price, it will also earn the fan whose code was used one dollar. There are bonuses in place as well for fans who bring large groups of people to the game using the fan code at increments of 20, 50 and 100 people.

This is an unprecedented system that has never appeared in a professional league previously. This gives a financial incentive to fans to make the crowd at games larger. It should interesting to see how effectively this program boosts attendance. This novel idea might seem a little like throwing money at a situation but in a way, it is simply rewarding the fans who have supported the league since the very beginning. It also shows that MLU is conscious of what makes it so great is its novelty as well as the inexpensive price of attendance. People also tend to jump at opportunities if they think they are getting a good deal on it so discounting ticket prices makes sense. This also makes the decision for fans who have attended games previously to return. The program will likely preserve the already existing fan base. I think it is likely that they did not necessarily have to worry about keeping current fans but it provides a nice security blanket with the money incentive.

However, this is not all good for the league to implement. I mentioned the concept already but it does seem like MLU is trying to buy fans a little bit. You can buy fans, but you cannot buy loyalty. It is unlikely that fans who come in through this program are coming solely for interest in the sport so if this is just a short-term plan, then it could pose issues for the league down the line. Additionally, this could alienate some current fans. I noted it acting as a security blanket but at the same time could drive them away if they believe the league is being driven too much by money. The other issue is that this system is completely untested. MLU is taking a risk in running a program without any certainty that it will work.

Overall though, the reward for the MLU greatly outweighs the risk. It seems like the likelihood is that this will retain existing fans and if it begins to work effectively than the league has discovered a way to boost its popularity. The concept that must make MLU optimistic is the idea that if new fans who come at a discounted price see Ultimate played at a high level, they will be hooked and want to continue coming back. For so many in America, Ultimate is a mostly unknown entity. This plan offers exposure. This type of system could be effective in some sports but what makes it ideal for MLU is that it is best suited for small, growing leagues. It will be intriguing to see to what degree this program works because I certainly think it will work. I also think this is the right step for the MLU to take. You have to wonder if an organization would ever consider adopting it on a larger scale. Right now, we will have to watch and see if the MLU can make it work first.

What is the Patriot way?

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL

Leave all your previous feelings toward this team at the door. Forget whether you are a fan of the team or you absolutely despise the organization. Do not be sympathetic for the players you like on the team or bitter to the ones you cannot stand. Just simply view this as a fan of football. Someone who loves the game and how it is played. Put yourself in that mindset. That is going to help as we take a look at one of the most successful franchises in sports history. The New England Patriots have been caught up in a major scandal that has rocked the NFL. I will review this as unbiasedly as I possibly can, presenting both sides of the story. This latest misstep begs the question for the league of where do you say it has been enough?

The Patriots have been around since 1960, but it is really the last 15 years that make them relevant. In 2000, New England drafted a quarterback out of Michigan by the name of Tom Brady. Brady was not considered much of a pro prospect in those days but very quickly, he proved that he absolutely had what it takes to compete at the highest level. The mastermind behind it all: Bill Belichick. These two have since gone on to become the winningest quarterback-coach tandem in NFL history with 117 regular season wins and now 20 postseason wins. The issue has been the various speed bumps that the organization as a whole has hit along the way.

Spygate came about in 2007 after the Patriots were caught taping signals used by the New York Jets. The incident involving the Super Bowl against the Rams is unimportant because after further probing the NFL found that the video of the walkthrough tape supposedly filmed by the Patriots film staff does not exist. To the 2007 issue, the whole issue was overblown and largely carried away by the media. However, the reality is that the Patriots were filming the Jets illegally, following a league memo informing teams that the practice was not to be practiced. Belichick said following the allegations that he misinterpreted the rule but either way it was clear that the Pats were looking for a loophole. It also does not help that the memo came only weeks before the incident. Belichick was punished though with a then-record $500,000 fine and a game suspension. The issue here for me here is not why they were filming the game signals, because the film was not used for that game, it is that the Patriots were filming at all. It was a violation of NFL rules, albeit a rather insignificant one.

Over the weekend, the Colts accused the Patriots of deflating game balls for the AFC Championship to the point where they were no longer of regulation size. The NFL announced last night that those allegations were in fact correct, and that of the twelve footballs each team has, the Patriots had eleven that did not meet standards. The other aspect is that it was deliberate as it was recorded that NFL official Walt Anderson checked every ball before the start of the game, more than two hours before kickoff, yet the balls were deflated by the time the game started. It would be possible to consider that some outside force tampered with the balls, such as the cold or such, but that would not explain why there was one ball still at regulation size. A deflated football can be kicked further and gripped better which would give the Patriots a clear advantage. What also needs to be noted it the Colts had different footballs they were using when their offense was on the field. However, it probably does not account for the fact that New England routed Indianapolis. If you want to maintain that the Patriots would never have had a passing touchdown or a converted field goal playing with regulation balls (which is extreme) the Pats still scored three rushing touchdowns, more than enough to beat Indy’s one score.

This newest smudge against the Patriots franchise is much larger than that of Spygate. The Pats might have just been looking for a competitive edge, but found it illegally. The bigger deal too is that this absolutely had an impact on the game being played, unlike Spygate. Several Baltimore Ravens’ players have voiced similar complaints regarding the footballs used in their Divisional round playoff game with the Pats. I would not be surprised to see that investigated as well. Once again, one of the premier franchises in the NFL will have an asterisk next to it. This time it seems a little more deserved. Spygate was overblown but what many are now calling deflategate has much more serious implications. The Pats will definitely be fined by the league, if it turns out that this was something orchestrated by more than just one individual, the league would have precedent to penalize the organization with a loss of draft picks.

As a football fan, you have to wonder why the Pats keep doing this to themselves. They clearly are a premier team in the league and do not need an unfair advantage to ensure a victory. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Patriots have actually won more games in the time since they stopped filming team’s signals. The reality is that New England has been the most dominant football franchise likely in league history with Brady and Belichick running the show. The problem these continual incidents pose is that it takes away from the motto of doing things “The Patriot Way,” a saying that Belichick has embodied in his time in New England. Sure, deflategate probably did not change the ultimate storyline of the game, but the Patriots cheated. It is as simple as that. I think only now does that phrased truly have any merit. I still view them as the best team in the AFC without a doubt this season but this definitely tarnishes everything that the Pats have spent so long building up. It is sad that this franchise now has another label to shake. The likelihood is that it was one person within the organization who took matters into his own hands but in reality that does not matter because it is a representation of the team as a whole. I sincerely hope that the Patriots are punished for this but then it can be forgotten. This is still a phenomenally talented team with the potential to beat any team on any day in any game. The Patriot Way has served this organization so well for the last decade and a half but it will take some image reconstruction for that saying to have the same meaning again.