Zach Attack Talking Smack

Early Predictions for NBA MVP:

Z: I believe that if voting ended today for the Most Valuable Player Award in the NBA, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls should win the honor.  Rose has led the Chicago Bulls to one of the best records in the crowded Eastern Conference without his full complement of teammates.  So far this season, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah have each missed extended time on the injured list leaving Rose to carry the burden for the Bulls.  It will be scary to see how good the Bulls could be when Noah returns from injury later this year.  Other noteworthy candidates are Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets and Amare Stoudemire from the New York Knicks.

College Basketball Thoughts:

Z: What’s wrong with Syracuse? The Orange have now lost four straight games after starting the season 18-0.  My question is, did Syracuse cruise to their perfect start in part to its early season schedule.  The thing is that Syracuse’s schedule looks great on paper with victories over four BCS level opponents (Michigan, NC State, Georgia Tech, and Michigan State).  However dig deeper into the non-conference schedule and it shows two mediocre (GeorgiaTech) or bad (NC State) ACC Teams, a bottom dweller Big Ten team in Michigan, and the Michigan State win is looking worse as the weeks go by.  However give the Orange credit for putting together this schedule.  It’s much stronger than other elite Basketball programs.  The big problem is Syracuse’s play of late.  Sports columnist Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror (and proud Syracuse Alum) called Syracuse “the most overrated team in the country right now and doesn’t deserve to be in NCAA Tourney right now.”  He also called the team, “talented but dumb players who are quitters.”  This seems a little harsh, but it shows the passion and fandom of the Syracuse program.  We’ll see if legendary Coach Jim Boeheim can right this sinking ship or if it is just a blip on the radar due to the depth of the Big East Conference.

Charlotte Bobcats Win Three In A Row on the Road:

Last night in Oakland, California, the Charlotte Bobcats came back from a 16-point deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in overtime.  The Bobcats are now 11-6 under new head coach Paul Silas.  I’m still skeptical to whether or not the Bobcats make playoffs due to their horrendous start of the season (blamed in a large part to former Head Coach Larry Brown).  Silas has instilled confidence in young players such as D.J. Augustin and Gerald Henderson who are now not afraid of making mistakes and from being pulled from the game for making those mistakes.  Another is the emergence of Kwame Brown who despite being the butt of NBA Draft jokes has emerged as one of the biggest bargains in the league.  It would not surprise me if the Bobcats lost tonight against Clippers being that it is a back-to-back after an overtime game.  However it would be a disappointment if they finish the 6-game road trip 3-3.

Zach Talks Smack:

Here’s my take on today’s biggest sports stories:

Jeff Fisher parts ways with the Tennessee Titans:

Z: Tennessee is losing a really good coach.  While some detractors may say that Fisher is living off of his reputation the past few seasons, you should remember that he led the Titans to the league’s best record in 2008 with the ancient Kerry Collins and rookie Chris Johnson leading the way.  Fisher’s teams have always been physically tough (in similar mold to the Steelers and Ravens) but have been dragged down due to issues at Quarterback.  What killed Fisher in the end was Bud Adams’ insistence to play the enigmatic Vince Young at Quarterback.  The NFL is now a Quarterback driven league and Young simply isn’t good enough (mentally) to become a consistent winner.  It seems as if both the Titans and Fisher grew apart over the coach’s long tenure (in much the same way the Carolina Panthers and John Fox split after the season).  The Titans do not look to be a contender in the crowded AFC without a Franchise Quarterback to go with Running Back Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt.

O.J. Mayo is suspended by the NBA for testing positive for DHEA (Steroids):

Z: Notice how this is just a blip on ESPN’s bottom line whereas if this were baseball it would be front page news.  I guess this substance didn’t help Mayo since he is currently in the Memphis Grizzlies’ Doghouse.

BYU’s Jimmer Fredette wows viewers with a 43 point performance over San Diego State:

Z: Fredette’s big performance elevates him to College Basketball’s biggest star.  Let’s hope that no NBA team will overdraft him amidst the hype like Adam Morrison in the 2006 NBA Draft.  Then again, Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats won’t be selecting that high in the draft.

NBA All Star Starters are released:

West:

Guards: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul

Forwards: Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant

Center: Yao Ming

East:

Guards: Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade

Forwards: LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire

Center: Dwight Howard

Z: Why doesn’t the NBA make fan voting only part of the criteria for picking starters.  The Chinese have made this selection process a joke by selecting Ming who is out for the year and has played in four games this year.  Speaking of the All Star Game, I agree with Bill Simmons that the Trade Deadline should occur late at night during this weekend.  How many ridiculous trades would occur after the whole league is either drunk or high during All Star Weekend.

Zach Talks Smack:

Here’s my take on today’s biggest sports stories:

Backup Point Guard Korie Lucious gets dismissed from Michigan State.

Z: This is a big loss for Michigan State.  The loss of Lucious brings added pressure for Point Guard Kalin Lucas who is less than a year removed from tearing his Achilles tendon.  By dismissing Lucious, the Spartans lose valuable depth and this adds to the numerous issues that have led to a disappointing start of the season for the Spartans.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell vows to lower his salary to $1 if there is a work stoppage.

Z: Hey Roger, instead of talking big (like Rex Ryan and the Jets) why don’t you meet with the Players Association and work towards hammering out a deal.  How crazy would it be if both the NFL and NBA were locked out six months from now?

Jay Cutler “Quitting” on the Chicago Bears.

Z: I have never been the biggest Jay Cutler fan.  Cutler to me is someone who is one of the most physically talented Quarterbacks in the NFL.  What I don’t like about Cutler is his propensity to make the “Big” mistake and his facial expressions don’t exactly inspire confidence for him as a leader (my opinion).  However, I am sympathetic to all of the criticism that he has taken from his fellow NFL players via Twitter.  During the game, no one knew how injured Cutler was and every time the Fox Television Cameras caught him on the sideline, he was sulking while his backups next to him were studying pictures of the Packers Defense.  I believe most of the fault lies with the Chicago Bears for listing him as “Questionable” even though Head Coach Lovie Smith said that the team doctor made the decision that Cutler would be unable to re-enter the game.  If Cutler was indeed too injured to return to the game, then the Bears should have announced it to the media and this whole crisis would have been averted.

NFL Picks: Week17

New York Giants (-5) over Washington

Atlanta (-15) over Carolina

Pittsburgh (-6) over Cleveland

Minnesota (+4) against Detroit

Oakland (+4) against Kansas City

New England (-6) over Miami

New Orleans (-8) over Tampa

Buffalo (+3) against New York Jets

Baltimore (-10) over Cincinnati

San Diego (-4) over Denver

Chicago (+10) against Green Bay

Indianapolis (-10) over Tennessee

Dallas (+2) against Philadelphia

San Francisco (-6) over Arizona

Houston (-4) over Jacksonville

St. Louis (-3) over Seattle

Kevin's Week 17 Picks

Last week: 10-4

Season: 119-108-4

NYG -4

Car +15 (atl wins)

Pit -6

Min +3 (Min wins)

KC -4

NE -6

NO -9

PK NYJ

Bal -10

Den +4 (SD wins)

GB -10

IND -10

Phi -3

SF -6

Hou -3

Sea +3 (Seattle wins)