Year: 2015

The staying power of the Spurs, the fall of the Lakers and the power struggle between the East and the West

Chris McGlynn NBA

I figured I would move away from football a little bit and discuss some NBA. I will be the first one to admit that I know the NFL best but I am intrigued by some of the things happening in the NBA as we approach the playoffs.

The first thing I want to talk about is the age-defying play of the San Antonio Spurs. It really doesn’t make much sense and honestly Greg Popovich is probably to thank for just about all of it. Or maybe it is just cause they seem old. SI pointed out last year during the NBA finals that the Spurs weren’t actually old and that they were on average younger than the Miami Heat. Still this team has within the past 3 weeks caught fire at the right time (Portland, OKC and the Rockets are all sputtering a bit) and shot to the top of the standings. They have finally gotten healthy for one thing and this team has quite possibly some of the strongest chemistry in the NBA. We have all seen what chemistry can do for a team. The first year the “Big 3” were together in Miami they fell short of a title. They built that chemistry up (and found some spectacular role players) to push them over the top and now they have won two straight championships. Looking at the often forgotten Spurs, they have been a stretch run that I believe will carry them to the number one seed in the West. This team I think is a lock for the Conference Finals and has a real chance, if they avoid injuries, to win a title.

On the flip side of the Western Conference sit the Los Angeles Lakers. This is a team that has won 16 NBA championships in its storied history and has been a dominant force in the West for as long as I can remember. That was until last year anyway. The Lakers narrowly missed the playoffs last year; this year, they were the first team in the whole league to be eliminated from playoff contention. With Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash shut down for the rest of the year, the Lakers are going to limp into the off-season. They will likely have a top 5 pick in this year’s NBA draft and will be undergoing their own rebuilding process, something the Lakers almost never have to do. The thing is, I think the Lakers could be a playoff team next year. Not a top four seed but they could sneak in as a 7 if they get healthy and depending on who they hire as a coach (Mike D’Antoni is being fired at the end of the year.) They still have Bryant who is a great competitor and scorer still at this point in his career. They have found some depth in Kent Baezmore and Jodie Meeks. They have a decent point guard in Kendall Marshall. They still have Pau Gasol (for now.) In my mind, the Lakers developed a lot of their younger players and added depth to their roster. Now they need to find some starters though especially at the 3 and the 4. Point guard hasn’t always been a priority in LA while Kobe has been there so I don’t see that starting now. This is a team that is one or two pieces away from returning to being a good basketball team.

The last thing I want to talk about is the absolute canyon in terms of talent between the East and West. The East has its juggernauts (Miami and Indiana) but the West has about 4 with Portland being on the line. The West has 7 teams that have 39 wins or more so far this year; the East has two. Every team in the West has at least 22 wins; the East has three teams that have fewer than 20 wins. The Lakers have the worst record in the West and have been eliminated from the playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks have 9 fewer wins and still are mathematically alive in the East. The Dallas Mavericks current hold the last playoff spot in the West with a half game lead on the Suns. They would be the third seed in the East with their record. There is such a huge gap between the two conferences. It really is inexplicable. The East is just either mediocre or inconsistent once you get past Indiana and Miami.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I look forward to coming back at some point to talk both Kevin Love and who are the legitimate title contenders.

Raiders making noise and the outlook of Tampa Bay

Chris McGlynn Free Agency, NFL

So naturally, in my first ever blog post I decide to bash the Oakland Raiders for not having a rebuilding plan. Later I would read that the Raiders had signed linebacker Antonio Smith, ex 49er Tarell Brown (one of the more underrated players in free agency if you ask me) and Steelers castoff LaMarr Woodley to compliment Justin Tuck. That would definitely fill some of the holes I thought they had previously. I am curious to see how Raiders’ GM Reggie McKenzie spends the rest of the way in free agency and if he can bring some help to the offensive side of the ball. The Raiders also need a returner if they elect to not bring back Jacoby Ford. Josh Cribbs is available, as is Devin Hester. Al Davis loved guys with speed and even though Hester is older, I think he could be a playmaker that Raiders desperately need.

This team also will be picking at No. 5 in the first round, likely grabbing a quarterback or Sammy Watkins at that slot. I think McKenzie has started to find his direction, but he needs to keep being aggressive to rebuild this once great franchise.

Another intriguing team that is pushing for a turn around in a loaded division is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa has been overshadowed in the last day by some of the AFC’s elite squads making splashy moves but the Bucs are starting to build a contender. They’ve added ex-Bengals Anthony Collins and Michael Johnson, Packers lineman Evan Deitrich-Smith, who can play center or guard, and former Titans corner Alterraun Verner. Those have been their bigger signings. They also added veteran QB Josh McCown and former Giants and Raiders tight end Brandon Myers.

I am a huge Lovie Smith fan and I like what he has done with the defense so far. He has created a very good and young secondary by adding Verner to Mark Barron, Jonathan Banks and Dashon Goldson. Offensively, I still think this team could add another receiver and it would be great to have some more depth at tight end. They don’t need a number one guy, they have that in Vincent Jackson but they could really use a compliment. This is Bucs team that has made some big moves and some quieter ones as well which I think will help them compete in the NFC South this year. I do not think they will win it yet, but give Lovie Smith another year or two, and he might just do it.

Addressing Free Agency

Chris McGlynn Free Agency, NFL

So NFL Free Agency got underway this past Tuesday at 3 o’clock pm Eastern Time. I have been deeply engrossed in all of the on-going rumors and signings as well as the gauntlets that have been thrown down (see former Panthers and new Ravens WR Steve Smith and Seahawks rambunctious corner Richard Sherman.)

My first reaction is what the heck happened to the class of receivers? Excluding Steve Smith, who joined the party late, this was supposed to be a killer class of mainly number 2 and slot receivers. Eric Decker is the only big name to sign anywhere new so far, signing with the New York Jets. One can argue Golden Tate is a big name too but not on the same level as Decker. Hakeem Nicks (1-yr deal with the Colts) would fall into this category too if he had scored a touchdown in 2013 (you can’t blame Eil for that.) Guys that were supposed to be moving simply didn’t work out that way. The Eagles ruined a lot of the fun by resigning both Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin before they hit the open market.

Still, I am surprised that there has not been more interest in New England’s latest slot monster Julien Edelman. Wes Welker commanded a lot of money when he hit the open market last year. Edelman put up comparable stats to Welker of 2012, acting as Brady’s only reliable receiver, yet he only has interest from the Cleveland Browns. That doesn’t seem to make sense to me. I would have thought the Jets would have shown some interest. Or even the defending champion Seahawks, who lost Golden Tate to the Lions. I just don’t get how Edelman does not have more interest.

One signing that has left me scratching my head is the Raiders’ signing of Justin Tuck, and not on the part of the Raiders. Tuck is 30 years old and likely has 2 or 3 years left in the tank before he hangs up his cleats. For a player who is looking to wrap up his career, I don’t get the choice of the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are in full scale rebuilding mode and are in an increasingly difficult to win AFC West. The Raiders lack talent on both sides of the ball and don’t seem to have much of a rebuilding plan in place. Tuck clearly wanted to return to the Giants as he offered them a chance to match his deal from Oakland, but New York declined. My only conclusion is that Tuck felt like the Raiders were his only option to continue playing.

One last thing I want to touch on is how scary the New England Patriots defense might be in 2014. With the signing of former All-Pro Darelle Revis (whose contract is downright ridiculous but that could be a whole other blog post), Bill Bellechick now has the ability to lock down half of the field in theory. That means that one of the greatest defensive minds of all-time in the NFL now has the liberty to get creative with his blitz. If the Patriots sign ex-Seahawk corner Brandon Browner as well, that could spell trouble for the rest of the AFC. The Patriots still have some holes to fill at safety (reunion with Brandon Merriweather or bringing in former Falcon Thomas Decoud possibly) and with offensive line depth. This team will add a tight end and middle linebacker in the draft for sure and they will be down right scary to play in 2014. I cannot wait for the Broncos-Pats match-up this time around where both teams are absolutely loaded.

That’s all I’ve got for now, hope people enjoy the first real blog post I wrote.

AFC Arms Race

Chris McGlynn Football, Free Agency, NFL

I don’t know how anyone is supposed to compete in the AFC right now. The Broncos and Patriots are in a cold war at the moment just stockpiling assets.

Denver has brought in the unheralded TJ Ward, the versatile cover man Aqib Talib and Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware. John Elway is attempting to make his defense every bit as formidable as his offense. The loss of Eric Decker will hurt but the defense will make the games much easier for the offense. They should have the ball a little bit more and hopefully will not have to play in shoot outs quite as frequently in 2014. I think Denver has poised themselves to once again play in the Conference Championship game and just because of Manning’s edge in receiver talent, I would pick him over Brady to be hoisting the Lamar Hunt trophy in late January.

The Patriots haven’t been quite as busy but they have been hard at work. On paper right now, I would argue that the Pats defensive unit is the stronger of the two. With the additions of former All-Pro corner Darelle Revis and ex-Seahawk Brandon Browner, the Pats secondary has vastly improved. They still need to sure up their front 7, particularly their linebacking corps, but they are well on their way.

However, the Pats are making moves offensively bringing back slot receiver Julien Edelman. They are keeping some consistency for Tom Brady with his receiving corps. With Gronkowski on the shelf for a while, Brady will be able to spend another year developing his rapport with young receivers Aaron Dobson and Kembrell Thompkins. The also just added former Panther Brandon LaFell who adds more depth and so good hands to a young receiver group.

Without question, this matchup between the Patriots and Broncos will be good this year. It could be just as good as Seattle versus San Francisco. This will be an entertaining battle for supremacy in the AFC and we haven’t even reached the draft yet.