Month: April 2015

The curious case of Jordan Morris

Chris McGlynn MLS, Soccer, USMNT
Photo from ussoccer.com
Photo from ussoccer.com

In this day and age, college athletes cannot wait to make it to the next level. Hundreds, if not thousands, of them make the jump every year to join professional leagues and get their true career underway. College basketball faces the perennial “rent-a-players,” in the words of Bo Ryan. College football rarely sees player make it all the way to their senior year; at least not the top-rated prospects. It is nice to hear a story now and then about a player who is putting his academics first and wanting to stay in school. Then you have Jordan Morris, who’s story is probably a little bit different than most. In a sport like soccer, notorious for signing players at the age of sixteen and beginning their professional careers right away, Morris is straying from the beaten path. He is playing international football and spurning professional contract offers, determined to do things on his terms.

A few short years ago, Morris began playing for Eastside FC to start his youth soccer career. From 2009 to 2012, Morris was a mainstay on the Seattle based club team, garnering some major attention nationwide. Eastside is a premier soccer club, one of the highest levels of youth soccer available. The program helps develop promising soccer players as young as nine years old, and helps them take the next step whether it be college or the pros. Eastside has generated hundreds of college players across the country and Morris was actually one of six player to join the Seattle Sounders FC Academy when he left in 2013.

In early February of 2012, Morris committed to Stanford, intent on joining the men’s soccer team. He spent most of 2012, into 2013, playing for the Sounders academy team before officially enrolling in school. Morris made a splash his freshman season for the Cardinal, scoring six goals and tallying seven assists in 21 appearances. Stanford made the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years, but eventually fell in the round of 16 to PAC-12 rival Washington. 2014 saw Morris’ numbers drop across the board but he also appeared in six fewer contests.

The reason he missed more contests was due to his appearances on the US men’s U-20 and U-23 national team. Morris made a decent impact despite the small sample size, particularly with the U-23 squad. In only four appearances, Morris tallied three goals. It became clear that Morris was an international caliber player, or that he could develop into one if he was given enough caps and found himself in the right system. The next logical step came when he appeared for the senior squad for the first time against Ireland in August of 2014. Morris took the next step when the United States faced off with Mexico just 11 days ago and he scored the opening goal of the match, the first of his international career.

Clearly, Morris has quite the resume and is obviously on the radar of MLS clubs, but this is where things get interesting. He has international caps, familiarity with the system and potential to make a good amount of money for a US soccer player, but Morris wants to stay in school. So far, Seattle has offered him a contract on a number of occasions now, most recently just this past week. Reportedly, the offer was one of the most lucrative homegrown contracts in MLS history. Morris once again turned it down though, maintaining that he wants to return to Stanford for his junior season. After the season is over, Morris has hinted that he might consider joining the Sounders ahead of the 2016 MLS season. He has also said that he will just see where his soccer takes him. That could just as easily mean that Morris stays for his senior season, or even goes to play in a different league.

It is refreshing, in a way, to see a 20-year old kid turn down the fame and fortune of professional sports to continue playing the sport for just the simple enjoyment. Morris has had a lot of success at Stanford and definitely has some unfinished business to attend to at school. The Cardinal entered the NCAA College Cup ranked sixth overall and were upset by in-state opponent UC-Irvine in their first game. That has to leave a bitter taste in Morris’ mouth. I can understand why the kid wants to go back and take another stab at National Championship. Stanford is only graduating four players, only three of which were starters. Morris will come to the MLS (or another pro league) when he is good and ready. For now, he is going to keep having fun and enjoying his youth. Sometimes, money and recognition don’t win out. The love of the game does.

Who are the next three up?

Chris McGlynn Football, NCAAF, NFL , ,

We get it. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are the top two quarterbacks in this draft. It has been overanalyzed and, at this point, just taken as a fact. The topic that has been mostly skated over is the next three quarterbacks in this draft after them. For the most part, experts have agreed that the prospects in play are Garrett Grayson, Bryce Petty and Brett Hundley. No one can seem to agree on how to rank them though. None of these guys have very similar backgrounds nor do they seem to have like skill sets. It’s time to get to know the other quarterbacks in this draft.

Bryce Petty, Baylor
Height/Weight: 6’3”/230
Age: 23
The red-shirt senior had another successful year at Baylor. Petty led his team to a bowl game against Michigan State and looked set to win before a stunning comeback by the Spartans. The only other game that Baylor lost was to West Virginia. Petty demonstrated that he has a reliable arm, throwing over 400 passes in two years as Baylor’s starter. He is a talented player with enough mobility to extend plays. He demonstrates good zip on his on most of his short to intermediate throws. He doesn’t possess a cannon so that he can hit receivers on a line, but he leads his receivers well, allowing for them to run onto the ball.

Some concerns can be raised about his consistency. Petty aired out the ball with over 325 yards in two straight contests before he turned in a 111-yard, 31.8 completion percentage outing at Texas. Petty also seemed to throw his interceptions in clusters. He would go weeks without tossing one before getting picked off twice against TCU and Oklahoma State. Some other concerns rise when you look and see his yards per attempt and touchdowns fell while his interception total rose. Another major knock is the system he played in college. He used only a one-read system that never really required him to run through his progressions, something he will desperately need to do at the next level.

Overall, I think Petty is a solid player who has the right physical tools to succeed in the NFL. He needs a year or two to polish his mechanics and learn a pro system but he could prove to be a fringe starter one day. If nothing else, he will be a solid backup for a number of years in the league.

Predicted Round: Fourth
Ideal team: San Diego. Petty would get to learn from Philip Rivers for at least a year before the veteran potentially left town. Mike McCoy, as a former quarterback, would likely be a good coach for Petty as he learns to adjust

Brett Hundley, UCLA
Height/Weight: 6’3”/226
Age: 21
There is a lot of potential for this kid. He is tough, determined and athletic. Hundley is a dual-threat quarterback but that does not mean that he cannot throw. Hundley has already shown plenty of development as the quarterback of UCLA. He is a three-year starter and improved his completion percentage every year while cutting down on his interceptions. What was impressive too was that Hundley managed to avoid making multiple mistakes in games. He never threw more than one interception in a game all season. Most importantly, Hundley has shown that he is willing to take a hit when he makes a throw.

Some concerns can be raised about how much he throws the ball, falling below 400 attempts in each of the last two season. He also never even came close to matching his yardage total from his first season. His touchdown passes fell every year as well, dropping to a middling 22 in 2014. Hundley also has a lot of criticism for his lack of an internal clock. He took 125 sacks in 3 seasons, which can’t all be on him but that is a really high number for it to be all on the offensive line. Hundley will also need to improve his velocity on throws and find a way to avoid short arming them.

Hundley has a lot of developing left but he has already shown he is capable of being coached. It shows in his stats. Hundley could be a very difficult player to stop if he takes time to work on his mechanics. He needs to improve his release and body movement. Hundley is a lot like Colin Kaepernick, just without as strong an arm.

Predicted round: third
Ideal team: Denver Broncos. Hundley would obviously be able to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. On top of that, he would be in a system that relies heavily on plays from the gun and lots of play-action, which is what Hundley did a lot of at UCLA. 

Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
Height/Weight: 6’2”/216
Age: 23
One of the more unknown prospects in this year’s draft, Grayson has been a bit of a late riser. He spent the last two years as the starting quarterback for Colorado State, showing vast improvements from his first to second year. Grayson tossed 32 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions with just over 4,000 passing yards. He wasn’t always consistent but Grayson managed to post absurd completion percentages at times this season, going above 70 percent on 5 separate occasions. Grayson displayed his amazing deep ball touch throughout the season. Grayson has worked in multiple offensive sets and demonstrated great poise in the pocket.

Grayson needs to work on some of his underneath throws. He has great arm strength but occasionally will lead his receivers too much, setting them up for big collisions. Grayson’s mechanics need a little bit of refinement as well. His release is a little elongated. He has been known to be a little slow in his progressions and fails to get into his drop back quickly enough. Grayson never really got the chance to play against top competition in the Mountain West Conference. The best teams Grayson faced all season, Boise State and Utah, beat him by a combined total of 48 points.

There is talent there, that is for sure. Refining that talent will be the challenge team will encounter with Grayson. He has a great deep ball, which is something a lot of prospects do not. He has a lot of the makings of a great NFL quarterback. Grayson needs some development, but he definitely has the potential to be a starter one day.

Predicted round: third (before Hundley)
Ideal team: New Orleans Saints. Learning from Drew Brees for a year, another quarterback who is slightly undersized, would be a blessing for Grayson. He has made a career so far out of a deep ball thrower, which the Saints offense does a lot of. It would be a good fit and allows Grayson to develop for a year or two.

What if Cleveland hadn’t won the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery?

Chris McGlynn Basketball, Draft, NBA , ,

Andrew_Wiggins_2014The NBA draft lottery is always difficult to predict. The last time the team with the highest chance of winning the lottery landed the top pick was over a decade ago when the Magic won back in 2004. That pick turned into Dwight Howard and drastically changed Orlando’s fortunes for the next several years. Some teams have simply gotten lucky with the draft lottery. Cleveland ended up with the top pick in the draft three out of the past four years, including 2014, where the Cavs won despite only having a 1.7 percent chance. That is simply unprecedented. It makes you wonder what might have happened if the Cavaliers’ fortunes weren’t so great. Here is what would have happened if the Cavs did not win the 2014 NBA draft lottery.

First thing is first, Andrew Wiggins doesn’t go first overall anymore. Milwaukee wins the draft lottery instead and the Bucks made it clear they wanted Jabari Parker no matter what. Instead, Wiggins goes second overall to the 76ers, making Philadelphia a scary young team. What transpires after the draft drastically changes the outlook of the 2014-2015 NBA season.

With no elite bargaining chip, the Cavaliers are unable to pry Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Instead, Love is shipped to Boston in exchange for Marcus Smart, Rodney Hood and two future first round picks. With Love headed for the Celtics instead of the Cavaliers, LeBron James decides to opt into his contract with Miami. The King’s presence in South Beach means that Chris Bosh walks away from the Heat for a contract with the Houston Rockets. Bosh teams up with the aforementioned Howard and James Harden to form a new Big Three in Texas. Some other free agents change their decision as well. Pau Gasol joins Miami to fill Bosh’s void. The incredible amount of spending by the Heat means they cannot afford to add the young Hassan Whiteside, who instead joins Philadelphia now that Joel Embiid is not in the picture. And with Gasol bound for Florida, the Bulls hang on to Jusuf Nurkic rather than trade for Doug McDermott. Chicago also finds an incredible amount of cap space they use to lure Carmelo Anthony away from New York.

The season starts with plenty of crazy headlines. Orlando cannot wait to pair Embiid with Nikola Vucevic next season. The 76ers love their core of Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel and Andrew Wiggins and never send MCW to Milwaukee. Rajon Rondo could not be happier in Boston with another star present in the form of Love. Dallas is in desperate need of a point guard but with Rondo locked in for the Celtics, the Mavericks find themselves out of luck. Right around the trade deadline, with the playoffs essentially out of sight with Dallas, Oklahoma City and New Orleans all in front of them, Phoenix deals Goran Dragic to the Knicks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Lance Thomas. The Suns also send Isiah Thomas packing but this time to Charlotte for Lance Stephenson and a couple of future picks.

When the playoffs roll around, the super teams in each conference, Miami and Houston, enter as the top seeds. Milwaukee and Dallas miss the postseason due to the trades that now never happen. The Heat matches up with the eighth-seeded Cavaliers in the first round as LeBron inflicts even more pain on Cleveland with a 4-0 sweep. Miami edges the fourth-seeded Celtics and beats out the talented Bulls for a return to the NBA Finals for a fifth straight year. They meet the Memphis Grizzlies after the Griz outlast Houston in the Western Conference Finals. Pau and Marc Gasol become the first brothers to face each other in the NBA Finals. It would be the elder Gasol who gets the last laugh as Miami snags its third title in five years.

LeBron_JamesThe following offseason, with his contract up and three rings to his name, James walks away from the Heat and joins the Cavaliers. Linking up with Kyrie Irving, James sets out to recruit either LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol to join him in Cleveland. Minnesota is still sitting with the worst record in the league after an atrocious 11-71 season. The Knicks and Lakers both join the Wolves as those among the bottom three in the league. All of this happens if a different ping-pong ball was picked back in May of last year. Instead of talking about Cleveland, all the hype would still be in Miami right now with the playoffs just getting underway and the MVP conversation would likely be over as James dominated the league once again. Who knows, maybe LeBron will still get that third ring anyway.

NBA MVP debate

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NBA , , ,

Three Second Look writers decided to talk about who the NBA Most Valuable Player should be for 2015. Here are the cases for who we think should be crowned league MVP.

Anthony_Davis

Anthony Davis has only improved in his first three seasons in the NBA. He had career highs across the board and played 68 games for the first time in his career. Most importantly, Davis carried his New Orleans Pelicans to the playoffs, and that is the reason why he is a dark horse MVP contender.

Let’s first compare Anthony Davis to other power forwards, and when one looks he is by far the best power forward. He has the highest the PER among all power forwards with 30. The next highest one was Blake Griffin with 22. LaMarcus Aldridge is not as efficient as Davis is, does not average as many points or rebounds and his defense is nowhere close to the level of Davis’.  Moreover, Griffin missed more games than Davis and did not even average anything close to a double double. Clearly, Davis has the clear advantage over his power forward peers.

Davis is the unanimous MVP of the Pelicans. When one looks at the other players they see that no one comes close.  Only four other players on the team averaged over 10 points, and no other player other than Davis averaged over 20 points. Davis’ MVP stock goes down because his team was an eighth seed. However, I think this is where Davis’s main argument for MVP comes in. This team had no business of getting into the playoffs without him. If you look at the 14 games Davis missed, New Orleans went 6-8 without him. The Pelicans are a below .500 team without the Kentucky product in the lineup. The fact that they were even an eighth seed in the stacked West should amaze most people.

The real comparison comes to the rest of the league though and Davis comes out on top. He led the whole league in PER this year. Better then both leading MVP candidates Harden and Curry. He also had a lower usage percentage then most of the top ten players and still averaged over 24 points a game. Davis was also in the top five in scoring, top ten in rebounding and led the league in the blocks. Stats like this prove he is a two-way player and a true MVP-caliber player.

When you look at Davis’ resume, he should win the MVP. He is the best power forward in the league. He is far and away the best man on the Pelicans not to mention the catalyst for their postseason berth. Davis was the most efficient player in the league and is arguably the most well-rounded player in the league. Many of players with a PER over 30 during a single season have won MVP. He should win this year, but the truth is, even if he doesn’t, he will be a candidate for the award for years to come.
Brian Mandel

James_Harden

For individuals, this basketball season may go down as one of the best in history. Here we are in April, season having ended a few days ago, and there are 6 players with legitimate MVP candidacies, whom in any other year may have run away with the title.

Chris Paul had a pretty typical year for him, to the point where now voters expect this out of him rather than recognize his brilliance as the undisputed best pure point guard in the league today. LeBron James did not impress enough on the stat-line, in spite of his 25.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 6 PPG. Russell Westbrook only playing 67 games, and many others without Kevin Durant, will cost him a trip to the playoffs and the MVP. Anthony Davis won’t win, even though he lifted the Pelicans into the playoffs for the first time. When Steph Curry is off the floor, Golden State is still a great team.

Yes, James Harden should be the MVP. When I look at value, it is beyond just the stat sheet (although 27.4 points, 7 APG, and 5.7 RPG is nothing to scoff at either). Harden is the only reason that Houston sits as the #2 seed in a stacked Western Conference. With injuries throughout the season to Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverly, Terrence Jones, and Donatas Motiejunas, Harden was forced into shouldering the lead for the Rockets; he responded by leading the league in minutes played all season. Take out Harden, and this team does not come close to making the playoffs, let alone have home court advantage for the first two rounds.

Harden was put into the limelight and had to singularly take on teams for himself, knowing that he had no other weapons to shield him from opposing teams. This especially comes into play on defense, a spot where Harden is known for his struggles in the past. This season, Harden did the beginning of a 180, tying for 5th in the league with 1.9 steals per game.  While he will never be recognized as a defensive force, he easily played his part in a weakened defense. Head into the playoffs now with Howard back lurking and Josh Smith on the wings, and Houston’s defense is strong enough to make opposing defenses sweat, especially when they have to outscore the Beard on offense.

If you take the player off the team, how much of a difference would it make? For me, the Rockets are nothing without Harden. He is the most valuable player for their team, by a landslide. The Rockets performed very well against the rest of the league, especially in one of the toughest schedules in basketball (Do you want to play the Spurs, Mavs, and Grizzlies 4 teams a year? I wouldn’t). For that, James Harden should win one of the most competitive and coveted Most Valuable Player awards in history.
Matt Luppino

Stephen_Curry

I know it is the easy to just say Steph Curry should be the NBA MVP, but he truly earned it. He piloted the Warriors to the top seed in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. This sharp-shooting phenom took the league by storm and should rightfully walk away with the MVP award.

Chris Paul might be the best pure-point guard (and should be the runner-up for the award) but Curry edges in terms of all-around player. He might have only been sixth in scoring but he was also sixth in assists per game. Curry is a true marksman, drilling shots from anywhere on the court. He led all point guards in shooting percentage. He finished third from beyond the arc and led the league when it came to shooting from the free throw line. Not to mention, he finished tied third for true shooting percentage and second in effective field goal percentage. Curry is the most lethal shooter in the NBA, making him invaluable to any team.

Defensively, Curry showed he could mix it up with anyone as well. He ranked fourth in the league with two steals per game. He vastly improved his pick and roll defense this year preventing big men from rolling to the basket and not allowing guards to drive as easily. He upped his perimeter defense as well. There is still plenty of room for Curry to improve on the defensive side of the ball but he definitely has reached the level of being a great two-way player. Anthony Davis was the only player other than Curry to rank in the top 15 for offensive and defensive win shares.

Beyond all of that, Curry is the most important cog in this Golden State machine. Curry played in 80 of the teams’ 82 games this season. The Warriors lost both of those games and neither of those games were against playoff bound teams. When you consider that Golden State only lost 15 games all season that is even more significant. The Warriors need Curry to be an elite team. He has the highest value over replacement rating in the NBA this year. The all-star point guard finished third in the league in total win shares. Breaking that down even further, Curry led the league in win shares per 48 minutes played. Curry earned his team the most win shares per full game played of anyone in the league. Curry might have a great supporting cast but they are nowhere near as effective without their leader.

The man they call the “Baby-Faced Assassin” had an incredible year as the best player on the league’s best team and was the integral part to their success. Curry demonstrated that he not limited to just being an efficient scorer. He can facilitate a team’s offense and provide an impact on defense. Curry’s incredible all-around play should land him his first MVP award, and with the level that he plays at, it might not be his last either.
Chris McGlynn

Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NBA, Playoffs

The playoffs are finally here in the NBA. Time to wonder who might stop the Cavaliers in the East and who might survive in the West. This is going to be one of the most difficult NBA playoffs to predict in recent memory. There will be some great first round matchups (Clippers vs. Spurs) and some rather lopsided ones (Cavaliers vs. Celtics). It’s time to breakdown the first wave of postseason matchups, this time in the East. These will be a fun batch of games to watch.

Atlanta vs. Brooklyn
Prediction: Hawks in four games
The Nets are a talented team that has yet to figure out how to get that talent to play well together. The Hawks have the best record in the Eastern Conference. The regular season series between these two teams finished four games to none and Atlanta blew Brooklyn out in three of them. The Hawks have an incredible starting five. Their Al Horford and Paul Millsap will give the Nets hell and I do not think they will find an answer for Kyle Korver. Joe Johnson will make some plays but not enough to even get Brooklyn a win against his former team.

Cleveland vs. Boston
Prediction: Cavaliers in five games
Boston comes into the playoffs on a six-game winning streak. That momentum should be enough to earn the Celtics a win somewhere in the early goings of this series. Unfortunately, that’s about all it gets them. Boston has some talented guards that will keep them in games for a little while. Isiah Thomas will find a way to ignite the offense. But defensively, the Celtics have no answer for LeBron James or Kyrie Irving. Cleveland’s two-man wrecking crew will provide enough offense to overpower a Celtics team that tied with New York for 21st in the league for scoring defense. That is not convincing in any way, so the Cavs will roll in just five. (Bonus prediction: Kevin Love will win his first playoff series as an overall non-factor).

Chicago vs. Milwaukee
Prediction: Chicago in six games
I really like Milwaukee, I really do. Just not more than I like Chicago unfortunately. I think the Bucks might have a shot at knocking either the Raptors or the Wizards out of the playoffs but the Bulls are simply too strong. This matchup will feature several low scoring games as both teams rank in the top nine in defensive scoring. The Bucks lack the consistent scoring threat needed to knock off the Bulls. Having rookie Jabari Parker in this series would have been a huge boost. If Derrick Rose comes back playing a consistently above average level, Milwaukee doesn’t really have a shot of pulling off the upset.

Toronto vs. Washington
Prediction: Washington in seven games
This is probably the toughest Eastern Conference series to call. The Raptors looked less than convincing as they geared up for the postseason. Since April began, Toronto lost to Brooklyn once and Boston twice and narrowly defeated Orlando and Miami. None of those teams had records above .500 either. Washington is hard to figure out as well. The Wizards in their last four games got crushed by the Nets before beating Atlanta. They then went on to lose in overtime to the Pacers and Cavs. It is difficult to get a sense for how good either of these teams are. With all of that inconsistency, I think the series will go to seven games with a lot of momentum shifting back and forth. In the end, I think John Wall will be the x-factor giving the Wizards the edge.