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Linsanity

February 22nd 2012 18:44
Since I've moved over to a new domain, I think it's only appropriate that I touch on other sports outside of baseball and football. The biggest story in the metro area the past couple weeks has been the rise of the undrafted point guard from Harvard, Jeremy Lin.

Being a Net fan, I was pretty livid back on February 4th when the Nets let this guy dominate them and I had never heard of him before. Luckily for the Nets, Lin went on a tear the next couple weeks having one big game after the next.

It's definitely an amazing story considering he was about to be cut by the team, but got a chance to play and has ran with it better than anyone could have imagined. I like the way he plays the game, the only issue is that he turns the ball over a ton but that should lessen with experience.


As great of a story as he's been, is it just me or has his story gotten too big? He's everywhere you look now. This is his second consecutive week of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I normally listen to ESPN Radio in the morning on my drive into work and they've talked about him almost everyday the past two weeks. The most ridiculous thing I've seen also goes out to ESPN. They had a headline yesterday about Lin telling Kris Humphries of the Nets that he doesn't understand why Humphries gets booed at games. If you've been living under a rock the past year, Kris Humphries married reality star Kim Kardashian but the marriage lasted less than 3 months.

How ESPN considered that headline newsworthy is beyond me. This is going the way of other polarizing athletes like Sidney Crosby, Brett Favre, Lebron James, Tim Tebow, etc. where they're shoved down our throats to the point where we can't stand watching these great athletes play. Why can't we just enjoy his basketball skills and not have to read about stories on how he's not living on a couch anymore?


NBA players are tired of hearing about him too. All-Star point guard Deron Williams of the Nets basically alluded to this in his post game comments after the Knicks-Nets game on Monday night. I'm paraphrasing but he mentioned how the Net reporters would ask him about Lin at their practices or shoot arounds. It definitely motivated Williams who had 38 points and led the struggling Nets to an upset victory over the Knicks 100-92.

The point is we don't know how long this ride is going to last but let's enjoy it while we can and not have it force fed to us like a kid being injected with some vegetable he/she would never want. I was going to say broccoli but I actually like that myself.

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Barnes Stays

April 18th 2011 17:07
The UNC Tarheels had a very forgettable 2009-2010 season. They missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Roy Williams; the only bright side was a run in the NIT that left the Tarheels with a 20-17 overall record. Fans were discouraged but maintained hope coming into the 2010-2011 season.

Williams returned big men John Henson and Tyler Zeller to go along with one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. Harrison Barnes was the big name, ranked as the top freshman in the nation. The class also included Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall. While many argue that Marshall fueled the Tarheels turnaround this winter by taking over the point guard position from Larry Drew, Barnes was the Tarheels’ biggest offensive threat. From a late February victory against Maryland through UNC’s tournament run, Barnes averaged 21.5 points per game, including a 40 point outburst against Clemson.

harrison barnes
Barnes looks forward to 'special seaon' at UNC


While the Tarheels fell short in the Elite 8 to Kentucky, Barnes boosted his NBA stock and seemed poised to make the jump after his first year of school. With his abilities and size (6-8) Barnes looks like he has the potential for a monster NBA career. On Monday Barnes announced that that NBA career will be put on hold for one more season.

Barnes has decided to come back to UNC for his sophomore campaign and in his words, 'prepare for a special season'. Barnes is joined by the returning frontcourt duo of Henson and Zeller. The team will be identical to last year's elite 8 bunch, the only loss being senior forward Justin Knox. Coach Williams will look to combine this in-house talent with another star class that includes McDonald's All-Americans James McAdoo and P.J. Hairston.

james mcadoo
James McAdoo joins an already stacked Tarheel lineup


With news of the big 3 returning to UNC, fans and analysts will no doubt be expecting big things from these Tarheels. While we wait for Friday's declaration deadline to pass, UNC is in position to be #1 overall in next year's preseason polls. Roy Williams will have plenty to work with as he goes for his 3rd national championship as head coach of the Tarheels.
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Williams Goes Pro

April 15th 2011 10:30
East coast bias. This is what I'm going to use as my reason for not seeing much of Derrick Williams during the regular season. The power-packed Big East made headlines all year, with star and now national champion Kemba Walker leading the way. Nolan Smith and the Blue Devils also had their fair share of the spotlight. Then of course there was Jimmer Mania. Fredette was about as close as I got to the Pac 10 this year. The conference's games were late for us on the East Coast and really their teams just weren't worth my beauty sleep. At least this is what I thought before a certain Thursday night in March.

derrick williams
Williams saw his draft stock soar during the Big Dance


The date, March 24th; the excitement that is March Madness was upon us. I was excited because my Tar Heels were still in the Dance, and I was certainly going to tune in for an opportunity to see Duke lose. I lost hope as the first half progressed. Duke seemed in control and I was debating calling it a night rather than waste my time on another Blue Devil victory. However there was one sign of hope for the Cats; it was this guy I had been hearing pretty good things about. Derrick Williams was lights out, going 5-6 from three point range in the first half including a 3 in the closing seconds that pulled Arizona within 6.



I was still pretty skeptical and was back to considering bed when Charles Barkley convinced viewers that the Wildcats had Duke right where they wanted them. Really Charles? Yes, really. The Cats went on to score 55 in the second half to run Duke out of the gym 93-77. Williams, already a highly touted sophomore, had entered the national spotlight. Scoring 32 points to go along with 13 rebounds, Williams scored from inside and out, showcasing power moves and monster dunks to go along with his outside shooting.

As Arizona's run eventually came to an end, Williams faced a decision, go or stay. His decision was made easier by his performance in the NCAA Tournament; some analysts now projecting he could go as high as #1 overall. On Wednesday Williams formally announced what many expected; he was leaving school and signing an agent in preparation for the NBA draft.

Blake Griffin
Williams has been compared to the phenom Griffin


The 6-foot-8 Williams seemed a man among boys at times in college. He could post you up underneath or pull it out and shoot a 3 in your face. With the increased size and athleticism of the NBA, it will be interesting to see what kind of player Williams becomes. I've seen some Blake Griffin comparisons while others have written that Williams will be better used as a 6th man. I tend to follow NCAAB more than the NBA, and would be interested to hear what fans from the league think Williams’ prospects are.
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One and Done

April 10th 2011 05:30
With the end of the men's college basketball tournament, fans begin holding their breath for what has become the inevitable. Teams with star recruits with pro potential begin making statements that their young players have decided to forgo their senior, junior, or even sophomore seasons to try their luck in the NBA. While teams wait until this point to formally make the announcements, it is usually a foregone conclusion that certain players are going to be one and done.

The season's first big name player has come out and said that he will be putting his name into this year's NBA Draft. Coach K notified the public that Kyrie Irving will be leaving school early, even after he missed 26 games this season with a bum toe


[ Click here to read more ]
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The Answer faces Big Question

March 2nd 2010 23:08
Word out of Philadelphia is that Allen Iverson will not be returning to the 76ers this season. AI returned home to Atlanta where he and his family are caring for his ailing daughter Messiah.

While my thoughts and prayers go out to Iverson and his family, I would like to take some time to look back over AI's illustrious career


[ Click here to read more ]
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