Year: 2016

NBA balance of power has flipped

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NBA, Uncategorized ,
Hassan Whiteside
Whiteside leads the NBA with 4 blocks per game.

We are nearing the halfway point in the NBA season and certain things are abundantly clear. The Warriors are the best team in the NBA. The 76ers are still terrible. Oh and don’t try shooting near Hassan Whiteside. Those were pretty much expected coming into the season, but we have seen an interesting flip between the Eastern and Western conferences.

In years past, the East has been top heavy while the West has been a gauntlet. You could say with almost certainty which teams from the East would be in the conference final while the West was a toss up. This year has been a bit backwards. The teams in the Eastern Conference are all clumped together while the West is very spread out. Every team in a playoff spot for the East has a winning record, but the seventh and eighth seeds in the West are below .500.

The Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic are currently tied for the final spot in the Eastern conference playoffs. They sit just 5.5 games behind the Cavaliers, who are on top of the conference. The Utah Jazz have a losing record but hold the last spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. They sit 16.5 games behind the first place Warriors.

To further the point, the Oklahoma City Thunder missed the playoffs last season with a record of 45-37. That record would have made them the sixth seed in the East. The seventh-seeded Mavericks in the West had the same record as the third-seeded Bulls in the East. The Spurs were the sixth seed in the West but would’ve been second in the East. It was clear that the West was the much stronger of the conferences.

Sure it isn’t realistic to compare finishing spots across conferences, but they didn’t have inflated records because the bottom of the West was just that bad. The bottom of the East was actually worse.

The question now is why was there a switch. There weren’t too many big name free agents who left the West. The biggest ones were probably Aaron Afflalo, Robin Lopez and Monta Ellis. None of them are future Hall of Famers or even All-Stars for that matter.

New York Knicks
Lopez (8) and Porzingis (6) have been a part of a largely improved Knicks team from a season ago.

The draft has seemed to produce a couple of talented players. Kristaps Porzingis for the Knicks, Jahlil Okafor for the 76ers and Karl-Anthony Towns for the Timberwolves. None of those teams are even in the playoff picture though, so that doesn’t seem to explain it either.

Could it be that some trade deadline movements are finally starting to make an impact? Gorgan Dragic moved from Phoenix to Miami. Reggie Jackson also joined the Pistons from the Thunder. Thaddeus Young left Minnesota for Brooklyn. Boston landed Isiah Thomas in a deal with Phoenix. Thomas, Dragic and Jackson have all become very valuable pieces on their new teams.

There is no definite answer right now. The East has suddenly just turned itself around and become the more competitive of the two conferences. My best guess is that some combination of trades, draft picks and free agent signings combined have had some impact on the change. I really don’t think that explains it all.

It is still early enough that we could see the tables turn and the West could have a strong second half. To this point though, the East seems to be reigning supreme.

Have we seen the last of Johnny Manziel?

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues , , ,

In the past I have defended Johnny Manziel. That ends here. He lost my support. He has proven to me that he does not belong in this league.

Johnny Manziel 2014
Manziel became a fan favorite in Cleveland before he ever played a down in the NFL.

Rumors surfaced yesterday that the Browns coaching staff and management was done with Johnny Manziel. Who can blame them? He might have generated a lot of excitement and fan fair when he drafted, but Manziel has been nothing but a pain in the ass since he walked through the door two years ago. He has shown himself to be unreliable, immature and uncommitted.

It pains me to say these things about Manziel. He is one of my favorite players to watch. He is riveting on the field. He has the potential to be electric. He makes you gasp and groan and everything in between. Unfortunately, off the field, he often makes you shake your head and now Manziel is in hot water for his latest antics.

The 23-year old was inactive this week due to a concussion, so Manziel decided he didn’t want to be with the team. He was reportedly spotted in Las Vegas last night, before the Browns season finale with the Steelers. He was supposed to show up for a scheduled meeting with team doctors on Sunday morning, but failed to appear. This was the final straw for Cleveland, who has been trying to police this kid from day one. Between DUIs and rehab stints, Manziel has been a tabloid writer’s dream.

Johnny_Manziel
Manziel did post a 54.7 Total QBR rating this season, which was fractionally better than Cleveland’s other quarterback, Josh McCown.

Rumor has it that Manziel is interested in leaving the Browns in order to join the Cowboys during the offseason. Remember, Dallas showed a lot of interest in Manziel during the 2014 draft and came close to selecting him in the middle of the first round. With his track record though, you have to start wondering if Manziel wants to play for the Cowboys, or hit the Dallas party scene with a couple of the team’s cheerleaders.

It is hard to name a player who has been more irresponsible during his first two seasons in the NFL. Sure, every player has their own adjustment period when they join the league but Manziel doesn’t show any signs of settling down. He just keeps doing whatever he pleases, making it clear just how selfish he is as a teammate.

The Browns are already an embarrassment of a franchise. Since 1999, Cleveland have just two winning seasons and played in just one playoff game. The Browns also managed to churn through 26 starting quarterbacks during that time span. This team is already down and out, they certainly don’t need things like videos of their starting quarterback drunk at a house party cropping up online. No franchise needs that.

Manziel has burned his only bridge in Cleveland. I can’t imagine that many teams will touch the former Texas A&M Heisman winner with a 10-foot pole. He brings with him a media hailstorm, a questionable work ethic, a tendency to get into trouble and a lack of production.

Johnny Manziel
Manziel has failed to live up to expectations heaped on him when he arrived in Cleveland.

It is easy to pretend that Manziel’s problems are solely off the field. He struggles a lot on the field as well. He has posted a 57 percent completion rate in his two seasons, while turning the ball over 14 times. He averages a lackluster 6.5 yards per attempt and lacks the mechanics of a pro quarterback. If you watch him play, it is rare that Manziel looks to more than his first option before he starts to scramble.

On all sides, Manziel is a mess. He is a middling quarterback with an attitude problem and an inability to stay out of trouble. Even if he says that he just did not like Cleveland and he would be willing to do all the right things for a different team, what does that say about his demeanor and character? That is not the type of guy that I would want in my locker room.

Jerry Jones
Dallas selected offensive linemen Zach Martin instead of Manziel in 2014.

However, Jerry Jones showed earlier this year that he was not afraid of a potential locker room cancer. He signed Greg Hardy, who immediately flared up and started fights with coaches and teammates. Jones responded by saying he wanted to resign Hardy. Jones was also apparently at the forefront of the bring Manziel to Dallas campaign back in 2014. Something tells me that he is salivating at the thought of bring him in from Cleveland. He will surely cite Dallas’ shakiness at the quarterback position behind Tony Romo as a justification for bringing Manziel on, if he does choose to sign him.

I think Dallas is the only team that might give Manziel a shot, otherwise, we could see Manziel take the route of another polarizing former Heisman trophy winning first round selection in Tim Tebow. Could you imagine those two working together on the SEC Network? Oh what I would give to listen to those off-camera conversations.

Back to the point, Manziel has made it very difficult for any general manager to consider signing him. There are simply too many red flags surrounding him. More and more frequently, teams are staying away from players with any character issues.

Maybe Manziel would straighten himself out with another team. Maybe he would benefit from learning for a year behind a veteran quarterback. Maybe he would play better with a better supporting cast. All of this is plausible but I don’t know if we will ever find out. If Dallas will not sign him, I think we have seen the last of Johnny Manziel.

Decision Day in the NFL

Chris McGlynn NFL

One last day will decide everything in the NFL. Ten of the twelve playoff spots have been locked up but there is still a lot of movement that could occur based on the results of today’s games. And that last playoff spot will be very interesting to watch. Here are all of the possible scenarios for the teams still alive in week 17.

AFC logoNew England Patriots:
With a win today against the Dolphins or a Denver loss against San Diego, the Patriots lock up homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. However, if the Pats lose to Miami and Denver hold of the Chargers, the Patriots drop to the second seed. That is as far as they can drop.

Denver Broncos:
A win today and a Patriots loss would place Denver in the top spot in the conference. If New England wins then the Broncos would have to settle for second, assuming they beat the Chargers. The Broncos can fall as far as the sixth seed though. A loss to San Diego paired with wins by the Chiefs and Jets would knock Denver down to the final wildcard spot. If Kansas City also loses Denver would still win the division but a win by the Bengals would push Denver to the third seed. Assuming that Denver loses still, they could end up with the fifth seed if Kansas City wins but the Jets lose. Denver really could end up all over the map after today.

Cincinnati Bengals:
This is much simpler. A win and a Denver loss would push the Bengals up to the second seed. A loss or a Bronco victory would keep them third, not landing a bye in round one. Those are the only possibilities for Cincy here.

Houston Texans:
A win would lock up the AFC South for the Texans and a trip to the playoffs. They could still make it if they lose with a Colts loss or a win by the Browns, Jets, Raiders, Saints, Chargers, Bengals or Patriots. Yes that is crazy. Houston will only be the fourth seed if they make it.

Kansas City Chiefs:
Entering week 17, Kansas City isn’t in line for a first round bye but they could get a home playoff game with a win against Oakland and a Denver loss to San Diego. Wins by both the Broncos and Chiefs would keep Kansas City at the five seed, as would a loss to Oakland as long as the Jets lost too.  If the Chiefs lose to the Raiders though and the Jets win against Buffalo, Kansas City drops to the sixth seed.

New York Jets:
It’s simple, win and they’re in. As long as the Jets beat Buffalo, they will secure a playoff spot. The Jets could lose and still make it, as long as Pittsburgh loses too. New York could only move as high as fifth, but they would need some help. A win over Buffalo paired with either a Chiefs loss, or a Chiefs win and a Broncos loss would jump them up a spot.

Pittsburgh Steelers:
Here is a team that does not control its own destiny. The Steelers need a win against the Browns and a loss by the Jets to get in. They can only be the sixth seed.

Indianapolis Colts:
Chuck Pagano might want to play the lottery because he has a better shot at winning that than making the playoffs. The Colts need a win and losses by the Texans, Jets, Browns, Saints, Chargers, Patriots, Bengals and Chiefs to make the postseason. If any of that goes wrong, the Colts are done.

NFC LogoCarolina Panthers:
This is pretty simple, win and they lock up homefield advantage. If Carolina loses to Tampa Bay, but Arizona falls against Seattle, they still hold onto the NFC’s top seed. A win by Arizona paired with Panther loss would drop Carolina to two though.

Arizona Cardinals:
A win over Seattle is meaningless unless the Panthers lose, as it would move them into first in the conference. Otherwise, Arizona will stay as the two seed in the NFC.

Green Bay Packers:
A win over the Vikings means the Pack get to host a home playoff game in the wildcard round as the three seed. A loss to Minnesota would relegate Green Bay to a wildcard spot. The Packers can only be the third or fifth seeds.

Washington:
This game is meaningless for them no matter what. They are the four seed in the playoffs.

Minnesota Vikings:
There is a lot on the line for Minnesota here. A win would give them the division and a home playoff game. A loss to Green Bay and a loss by Seattle would mean they stick as the five seed. However, if Minnesota loses and the Seahawks upset Arizona, then the Vikings will drop to the sixth seed.

Seattle Seahawks:
Seattle is in the postseason no matter what and they are going to be a wildcard team, this is just a matter of seeding. A win and a Viking loss would give Seattle the five seed and a matchup with Washington. A Viking win or a loss to the Cardinals would leave the Seahawks as the NFC’s sixth seed.

Those are all of the playoff scenarios on the line for Week 17. Hope you enjoy watching as the madness unfolds.

Making a case from the bench

Chris McGlynn Basketball, NBA , , , ,

This past week saw Steph Curry take on a new role for the Golden State Warriors. A spot on the bench. Curry missed back-to-back games for the Dubs due to a lower leg injury. He is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Nuggets.

Stephen_CurryIn the two games that Curry has missed so far, the Warriors have struggled. First came a blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which Dallas shot over 50 percent from the field while Golden State only hit 40.7 percent of their shots. The next was a narrow win over the Rockets where the Warriors were sloppy with the ball, turning it over 18 times.

There is no doubt that the Warriors are worse off with Curry on the bench but this raises an interesting question. Does this solidify Curry as the league’s MVP yet again? It seems a bit crazy but it actually makes some sense.

Peyton_ManningThis type of idea originated for the first time for me when it came the 2011 NFL season. Peyton Manning missed the entire season due to an offseason neck surgery. The Colts went from a 10-6 playoff team in 2010 to a 2-14 debacle in 2012. It made many people wonder just how valuable Peyton was to Indianapolis if his absence could make that much of a difference.

Obviously, this is not the same scenario and no one actually voted for Manning as the MVP for that season but it still presented the idea. The reason why it could genuinely work in Curry’s favor is because he has actually played during the season and is not expected to miss an extend run of games.

Stephen_Curry2Curry has already made a pretty good case to be the league’s MVP again. He leads the NBA in points per game by a decent margin and is second in shooting percentage among guards. He has chipped in a healthy 6.4 assists per night and fourth in thefts per game. He has the best box plus/minus rating and the highest number of win shares in the league this season. Not to mention that the Warriors have only lost one game that Curry started.

His absence underlined how important he is to the team. There are some noticeable changes to the Warriors game without Curry. When Curry starts, Golden State scores 114.8 points per game. Without him, the Dubs averaged only 102.5. Their three-point shooting and overall shooting dropped off. It became apparent very quickly that no matter how deep the Warriors seem, they need their leader on the court to be a contender.

Yes it is a very small sample size and it is clear that Golden State is a good team even without Curry. I really think that missing those two games strengthened his campaign for a second consecutive MVP award. He showed his true value as the most important piece on the league’s best team.

Should a player be named MVP because of the drop off his team suffers when he doesn’t play? Maybe not in the case of Peyton Manning back in 2011, but I think in the case of Curry in 2016, it helps. The award is not designed for the league’s best player, but it’s most valuable one. His value was underlined in those two games.

Does this mean that Curry has locked up the MVP race? Absolutely not, but I think he just strengthened his resume by spending two nights in late December sitting on the bench.