Well. That went
fast. 2013 gave us a lot of great memories. We saw the fall of an Empire as a
result of a miracle only Luke Skywalker at the end of A New Hope could rival. We saw the Famous, the JFF, a fox on the
field, Urban pulling a Steven Glansberg, and Lane left at a bus stop. Here were
some of our favorite moments and stories of 2013.
Read More »
By Jake Boxberger
Well, I had an article planned complete
with semi-comedic titles of other rookies that would make an impact, but I am
just too depressed by the class right now to even send it in. And I know what you may be thinking, “But
Box… we are only one month into the season! Can’t you give these kids some
time!?” My answer is no. I have seen
what I need to see from these guys and while some may improve and become solid
rotation players, I am starting to lose hope.
In the words of the mediocre Dennis Green, “They are who we THOUGHT THEY
WERE!” Or, in this case, who I currently think they are.
What makes this even more difficult is
how amazing College Basketball has already been. There are bonafide stars at the top and the
classic powers (Duke, KU, Michigan State etc.) look to be in championship form.
In my first article I tried to justify the current rookies, but I could think
of at least five guys (burgers and fries) coming out in next summer’s draft that
would be consensus top overall picks in this past year’s crop. But hey, college basketball ratings are way
up, which I don’t mind. It seems as
though the money-grubbing suits that run the clown center called the NCAA are
getting what they always wanted with this “one year in college” garbage, but
that is a conversation for another time.
Where
Box Was Right
Victor Oladipo
Like
I said in my first article, it does not take a genius to know that Victor would
be a good player in this class. I will
say though, that I was incorrect about coach Jacques Vaughan letting him jack
up 15-20 shots per game. I guess I was
under the impression that Aaron Afflalo’s best days were behind him. Boy, I was wrong there. Aside from that, Oladipo has looked almost
exactly how I predicted. He has not shot
the ball that well from the outside but has used his elite athleticism and
quickness to get to the rim and finish with highlight level plays. I also said that the Magic would try to play
him at point guard a good amount this season to see if he has the
potential. This is where his growing
pains have come. He still needs to
develop his handles and learn how to run a team, but if he does, he is Russell
Westbrook with a better attitude.
His
basic averages are right around where I thought they would be (13 ppg, 4rpg,
3apg) and I expect them to grow by a bit near the end of the season when he
gets more comfortable. Shooting 39% from
the field is a bit lower than I want, but if he continues attacking the rim and
lets Afflalo do the perimeter shooting, it will also be better by the end of
the year. Honestly, I am not too alarmed
that his assist to turnover ratio is below 1.0 because there were going to be
obvious hurdles in that department when you try to play him at point. If I were Vaughan though, I would continue to
play him there and embrace the mistakes.
In a year where it makes no sense to be a mediocre to middle-of-the-road
team, the more you let him develop, the more ping pong balls you will have when
the lottery comes around. Then, by next
year you will (hopefully) have a dynamic play maker point guard, Aaron Afflalo,
a legitimate 15 and 10 man in Vucevic (The big man) and a big time rookie. That’s a team I could get behind for the
future. As a side note, who would have
ever though that the Magic would be BY FAR the winners of the Dwightmare
trade. Maybe that will be the topic of
my next article.
Kelly Olynyk
Has
he set the world on fire with numbers resembling his summer league totals? In a
word, no, no he has not. Has he shown
rapid improvement and looked like a guy who will have a decent NBA career as a
third or fourth option? Yes, he most certainly has. His minutes were not there in the first few
games, but now he is getting to play around half the game and is being decently
affective while he is in there. For a
rookie getting 24 minutes per, 8 ppg, 6 rpg and 2 apg is not too shabby. Perhaps he will not get the recognition of
some other players due to his slow and deliberate game and his lack of big time
athleticism, but from a basketball purist’s viewpoint, he is doing the little
things that lead to a productive career.
Hell, he is averaging more assists per game right now that Ben McLemore,
who is playing similar minutes at the guard spot.
Here’s
what I do not like about Kelly. That
shooting percentage has got to come up.
Most of his critics a said that he would have a difficult time making
shots over NBA length, and it is starting to look justified. On top of that, he
has not shown the ability to stretch the floor like I saw in the Summer
League. He is shooting a measly 18% from
downtown right now (not a typo) and does not look to be adjusting to the deeper
arc. He might improve it by the end of
the year, but expect a significant improvement next year when he realizes that
the deep ball is a must have for his style of game.
Kelly
embodies what I thought this draft class would be: no TRUE star potential, but
the kind of player that can be a significant piece on a decent team. Boston will not be a decent team for a couple
years, so he has time to keep getting better.
I would love for them to be in a spot to draft Julius Randle. I think that they would be nice offensive
compliments to each other and would do a great job on the boards. Unfortunately, just when Olynyk solidified
his place in the starting lineup, he sprained his ankle. Ankles are hard to predict, but around
Christmas, I expect him to be in the starting lineup.
Where I Was Wrong
Cody Zeller
This
one is still up in the air, but it looks as though Cody looks to be in a
dangerous spot. He is currently on the
path to becoming his brother, and that is being optimistic. Playing time was not really there early in
the year and even when it was, it seemed as though he was forcing the issue,
trying to justify his draft position, rather than letting the game come to
him. He is a smart basketball player, so
I expected more from him. My major sign
of alarm is that the kid cannot hit a shot on a consistent basis. His shooting percentage is in the mid thirties,
which is completely unacceptable for a big man.
Oh yeah, and that whole ‘stretch four’ thing I envisioned looked to be
an optimistic dream, because he has not even attempted one three pointer the
entire season.
I am
also concerned about how inconsistent his rebounding effort. The numbers have been more volatile than a
tech stock, and that should simply not be.
If he is playing 18 minutes per game and his shot has not been falling,
he should be averaging about six rebounds per game, not four. Am I knit-picking? Maybe, but honestly I do
not think I am asking too much. Perhaps
his rebounding is lack luster because the Cats cannot play a lick of
defense. That was one of my main
concerns going in to the season.
There
is hope though. The skill set is there,
and I believe the shots will start to fall.
I also think he will start to attack the basket and get to the line
more. He does, after all, shoot a very
high percentage from the stripe. As I
said in my first article, I was thoroughly depressed when MJ drafted
Zeller. Had he ended up with any other
team in the top 10, I believe his numbers would be much better.
Anthony Bennett
Well
I do not really feel too bad about this one, because I did not want him in my
top 5 anyways, but McCollum just HAD to get hurt. I was rushing to find a default, and chose
the wrong one based on preseason stats.
Terrible analysis, Box. This kid
is currently challenging Kwame Brown as one of the worst starts for a number
one overall in the past 30 years. The
time he has been in the game (and it has been very limited), he has looked
absolutely lost out there. Granted, it
does not help that the Cavs look to have less chemistry than the cast of
“Marvel’s Agents of SHEILD.” I mean, I
thought Cody was having a bad shooting start, but Bennett made only one shot in
his first seven games. Wow… Right now he
is shooting a whopping 24% from the field and 17% from down town. That is honestly comical. To top all that
off, he has made zero free throws this season.
No really, he has made ZERO free throws.
With that body, you have to get to the cup and earn the points from the
line. He just has not done that.
New
Cavs coach, Mike Brown is a defense first coach, and maybe that is why Bennett
has been warming the bench, but honestly, there is probably more than five
reasons for his 10 minute per game average.
I want to find some sort of positive for this kid, but honestly, I do
not see it right now. His ‘tweener’
status has truly been his downfall, even though I did not think it would affect
him. I fully expect him to be a starter
for the Canton Charge by the time January rolls around. Who knows, maybe that will force him to
decide on a particular way to play. It
is early, but it appears as though Bennett will be the poster boy for the
mediocrity of the draft as a whole.
Where I Should've Trusted My Gut –
Guys
Who Should Have Been Top 5
Michael
Carter-Williams
Ladies
and gentlemen, I present to you the actual rookie of the year. Not to sound like Skip Bayless, but I actually
did see this one coming. “Why was he not in your top five,” you might ask. Good question. I did not have the stones at
the time of my first article to take the chance on putting him in the top five
when no other sports writer projected a good year. I learned a valuable lesson from Mr. MC-Dub:
Go With Your Gut! I really liked
Carter-Williams coming out of college, even though I cannot stand Syracuse as a
team. He could not shoot a lick, but he
was so quick and exceedingly tall for the point guard position. Watching him in college reminded me of what
Shaun Livingston was supposed to be, before one of the most gruesome injuries
in the history of basketball. He could
see over defenses, use his length to bother point guards that were often at
least 3 inches shorter than him and handle like the rock like a true
point. He did (and still does) have
turnover issues, but the spread out, up and down game of the NBA is far more
suited to his style than college ball.
Now,
don’t get me wrong, I do not expect him to continue to average 17 points and 7
assists per game all year, but I would not be surprised if he finished in the
15, 6 and 5 range. No rookie this year
will touch those stats, mainly because no rookie in the league has been given
the keys to the bus more than MCW. I
give that Sixers management all the credit in the world. They knew they weren’t going to be good,
signed a Popovich assistant as their coach and could be in the position to get
a top 5 pick. MCW paired with a lottery
from next year equals a very, very good young core.
Nate Wolters
'
YES!
I love it. Honestly, if you don’t love
the fact that former South Dakota State Jack Rabbit, Nate Wolters has proven to
be a top ten rookie, then you have no soul.
Wolters looks like he was an extra on Hoosiers, but has big time
game. I wanted to do an article about
the potential sleepers of the draft, but it seemed kind of pointless given how
bad the draft was. Does anyone else want
to see a potential new age Steve Nash, while we all have to watch the real
thing deteriorate in front of our eyes? Because I most certainly do. Wolters put up Durantula-esque numbers in
college and led a D-III team to the big dance.
Honestly, he put that team in his North Face back pack and sprinted all
the way to the field of 68, only to get embarrassed in the first round (22 PPG,
6 RPG, 6 APG).
Enough
about his college career. He was thrust
into the role of started as the first two options for Milwaukee went down
early, and made the most of it. He
hasn’t been scoring as much as he did in college, but that is the positive
part. It is apparent through his play
that he knows how to play point guard, not just be a scoring guard. His averages of 9 points and 5 assists might
not seem great, but let me put it into perspective. He had an assist to turnover ratio of about
4, which was the second best in the league through November. Not only that, he was almost playing thirty
minutes per game! Only MCW can touch that playing time. Unfortunately for all of us, Luke Ridnour and
Brandon Knight are healthy now, so the past few games his minutes have been
sliced. Its too bad, because he honestly
might be their best point guard option.
Oh well, I am rooting for ya, Nate.
Read More »
by Travis Wilson
The landscape of
American sports might just be changing. We’re not talking full on Pangaea to seven
different continents type of shift, but there have certainly been a few
earthquakes that have registered on the sports Richter Scale as of late. The
biggest and most recent quake is the report from Outside the Lines that Pop
Warner saw a decrease in youth football participation of almost 10% between
2010 and 2012. Put another way, Pop Warner lost more than 23 thousand players
in a two-year span. Even if the powers that be at Pop Warner blame multiple
factors for this decline, “including the trend of kids focusing on one sport,”
it’s fairly obvious to everyone who doesn’t work in PR for Pop Warner that the
root cause is the looming concussion concerns and the subsequent lifelong
health issues. This doesn’t necessarily signal the forthcoming death of the
NFL, but it may signal death to the NFL as we know it. The rules and equipment
will have to change fairly drastically or the highest caliber athletes will
simply stop risking their lives for the enjoyment of others.
In lieu of football, kids are
turning to other sports to participate in; from the classics – basketball and
baseball – to the “newcomers” – soccer and lacrosse – American youngins are
finding new ways to hone their athleticism and showcase their competitive urges.
However, for those of us past our
athletic prime (I think I peaked in 8th grade #GloryDays), we are
left living out our sports dreams vicariously through the athletes we see on
TV. Not that football will be off your TV anytime soon – or ever – but maybe
the new rules are diluting the sport you love? Maybe you just want to see some
good ol’ fashioned head knocking? Maybe you like boxing, but it’s too long and
slow for you? Maybe you long for the days when you could forego a shirt and
perform The People’s Elbow off the top ropes (headboard) on your parents’ bed?
(Also applicable: The Choke Slam, The DDT, The Piledriver, The Frog Splash, The
Sidewalk Slam, The Spear and The Powerbomb) Rather than break it up, have you
ever just stopped to watch a bar fight? You can’t tell me you don’t feel the
urge to click on those World Star Hip Hop fight videos that undoubtedly pop up
on your Facebook feed.
If you fall into any or all of those
categories, you’ve come to the right place. The UFC (Ultimate Fighting
Championship) is the NFL of MMA (mixed marshal arts) fighting, but if you
didn’t already know that, the rest of this article probably isn’t going to do
anything for you.
MMA is a divisive sport, one that
people either love or hate. And, for the most part, the people I have spent
time around my whole life fall into that “hate” category. It’s understandable
and just a few months ago I would have joined you in brushing off the UFC,
laughing at the Tap Out shirts, and making fun of two dudes who want to get
sweaty and roll around together (…not that there’s anything wrong with that).
However, due to a recent job that I landed, I have had the opportunity to spend
quite a bit of time around not only people who love the UFC, but also many very
prominent current and former UFC fighters. My opinions about the sport have
quickly changed and I’ve realized that most of what you see on TV is simply
branding, not reality; and that the reality is actually pretty great.
Let’s start with everyone’s first
knock on the UFC: the clothing and sponsors. From Tap Out to Affliction and
Monster to any other “meat head” brand you can think of, the UFC and its
fighters are unfairly tied to these sponsors. But guess what? These fighters
wear this gear and pimp these brands because they get paid to do so. The same
way Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods get paid to use Nike gear and apparel, these
fighters get paid to put bro-y logos on their clothes. This is a fairly obvious
statement and I doubt that anyone flipped their stance on the UFC just yet, but
I think it was worth pointing out. I
don’t wear high-top Air Jordan’s, but I still enjoy the NBA. Flat billed hats
and leather chokers aren’t my style (anymore #HighSchoolHero), but I still love
the MLB. I don’t walk around with diamond earrings, but I’m still glued to my
couch on NFL Sunday. So, to me, it just doesn’t make sense to write off the UFC
because you don’t wear graphic tees or pop open an ice-cold energy drink every
hour.
Rather, consider WHY these sponsors
are paying these fighters to promote their products. The fan base for the UFC
has been, historically, those type of people that are drawn to glittery colors
and terrifying graphics on a t-shirt. Thankfully, that seems to be changing
ever so slowly. Fans of all backgrounds and nationalities are being drawn to
UFC fandom. Just like the Field of Dreams, if you build a non-douchey fan base,
the normal sports sponsors will come.
Recently, Johny Hendricks, who will
be fighting Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title in the main event of
this weekend’s UFC 167, secured a sponsorship from Reebok. This might not sound
like much, but it’s the first major sports apparel brand that will be
represented by a fighter inside the Octagon (for you newbies, “the Octagon” is
the cage in which the UFC fighters conduct their business). It’s a step in the
right direction for this quickly growing sport and is a good indicator that the
UFC is being embraced by fans with more than a middle school education.
The second knock on the UFC that
I’ve heard is that the fighters are just street thugs that finally found a
financially viable (and legal) outlet for their internal rage. The fact that Kimbo
Slice, the most famous street fighter of all time (other than Ryu) made the
transition from YouTube fame to Octagon fame doesn’t help this sentiment.
However, Kimbo Slice’s success, or lack
thereof, in the UFC reinforces my stance that UFC fighters are far from street
thugs, but are rather some of the most disciplined and hardest working athletes
in the world. Many of these fighters were wrestlers on scholarship at major D-1
universities and some even went on to wrestle in the Olympics.
Furthermore, the training regiment
required to be a successful mixed marshal artist is insane. Just like in
wrestling, fighters will routinely need to cut or gain mass amounts of weight
in order to qualify for their weight class. An undisciplined person simply
couldn’t hack it. On top of that, to be successful in the UFC you can’t just be
good at one thing. If you’re a good stand up boxer, your opponent will take you
to the mat and destroy you with submissions. If you’re a skilled wrestler, your
opponent will make you fight on your feet and knock you out. You don’t play a
position in the UFC… you have to play all of the positions. Imagine putting a
second baseman on the mound in the MLB or throwing Derrick Rose down in the
post and that’s what it would be like for a UFC fighter who isn’t highly
skilled in every aspect of MMA.
As far as the personalities of the
fighters, they may come off as “thugs,” but again I’ll go back to the branding.
This is how they’re supposed to look. The casual viewer should be afraid to run
into these guys in a dark alley. But perception isn’t reality. In reality, if
you did run into one of these guys in a dark alley, they’d probably walk you to
your car, ask you about your family, and tell you to have a fantastic evening.
Now, I generally hate namedroppers –
or maybe I just longed for the day when I could drop a meaningful name – but
I’m going to throw a few UFC fighters’ names at you, the ones I’ve met and
spent a considerable amount of time with: Chael Sonnen, Kenny Florian, Daniel
Cormier, Cat Zingano, Cain Velasquez, and Conor McGregor. Every single one of
them has been overly nice to me, and it’s not like I’m “important” to them or
to what they’re doing. They’re just genuinely nice people; a far cry from the
thug perception.
Another plus to the UFC? Watching
the women fight is just as entertaining as watching the men. This ain’t no NBA
vs. WNBA shit. These girls are fierce and do some serious damage to each other.
It doesn’t hurt that many of them are fairly good looking (outside of the
Octagon, that is). Pick up a copy of EPSN The Body Issue and you’ll find that
female UFC fighter Ronda Rousey is on the cover and her fierce rival, Miesha
Tate, is included in the magazine as well.
Speaking of Ronda vs. Miesha, they
are the hosts of this season’s UFC reality show entitled The Ultimate Fighter
(TUF), which airs on FS1 at 10pm Eastern every Wednesday and is supremely
entertaining. This is an American Idol esque show, except instead of singing,
both males and females beat the crap out of each other for a shot at a UFC
contract. Miesha and Ronda are the Magic and Bird of women’s UFC and they’re
set to fight each other in the TUF season finale on November 30th on
FS1. If you don’t believe me that women’s fighting can be just as entertaining
as the men’s, tune in and watch these two broads go at it. There’s some serious
hate there. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
If you’re still with me, you’re
going to need some fighters to root for in order to really get into the UFC.
Although you should watch and choose for yourself who you like, I’ll give you a
list of a few fan favorites and a quick reason why you could/should like them.
Chael Sonnen
Nicknamed “The
American Gangster,” Chael P. Sonnen is known as the bad boy of the UFC (spoiler
alert: seriously, no hyperbole, one of the nicest people IRL). His rants sound
like a modern day Muhammad Ali, which makes him extremely marketable. He’s
fighting Rashad Evans this weekend at UFC 167 and, if he wins, will most likely
get a title shot.
Conor McGregor
Nicknamed “The
Notorious,” Conor McGregor has only fought twice in the UFC, but his popularity
is soaring. He’s about as Irish as they come, which gives him an automatic fan
base, but his signature bow tie and hilarious personality make his appeal much
more widespread. When asked on Twitter whether he would choose Ronda or Miesha
for the last night before the world ends, he responded with this brilliant Dr.
Dre lyric: “One ridin dick, one lickin ma toes.” He got in a bit of PR trouble.
Johny Hendricks
Nicknamed “Big Rigg,”
Johny will be fighting Georges St-Pierre this weekend for a shot at the
welterweight title. Listening to this man speak, you’d never think he was a
professional fighter. The timber of his voice coupled with his glorious beard
makes him better suited for working behind the deli counter, but this dude can
do some damage. However, he is the underdog against GSP.
Georges St-Pierre
Nicknamed “Rush”
(or simply “GSP”), St-Pierre is essentially the New York Yankees of the UFC. He
is the current welterweight champ and has defended his belt eight times. Bigg
Rigg could change that, but this main event will be one to watch. Bonus points for
GSP: he’s really funny and his French-Canadian accent makes everything just
that much funnier.
Ronda Rousey
Nicknamed
“Rowdy,” Ronda is the bad girl of the UFC. Just watch one episode of TUF and
you’ll hear and see this foul-mouthed beauty go to town. Her rivalry with
Miesha Tate is not manufactured. They genuinely hate each other. Can’t wait
until they fight.
Miesha Tate
Nicknamed
“Cupcake,” this girl can get down too. Ronda has been a “household” name for a
longer period of time, but Miesha is the new girl in town. You can’t be a fan
of both Miesha and Ronda – that would be like saying you like the Yankees and
the Red Sox. You gotta pick one. Rudimentary guideline for whether you’re a Ronda
or Miesha fan: Ronda = blonde, Miesha = brunette.
Tim Kennedy
This guy doesn’t
need a nickname because he’s the man. Not only is he a great fighter (currently
ranked 10th in the middleweight division), but he’s also serving
full-time in the United States Army and fighting professionally at the same
time. Bonus points: he fights out of my hometown, Austin, TX.
Like I said, don’t let me dictate
who you root for in the UFC, but I just figured those seven names could give
you a good jumping off point. Watch a couple fights and it won’t take you long
to figure out who you’re a fan of.
Speaking of watching fights, if this
article has piqued your interest, you won’t have to wait long to watch some
huge showdowns. UFC 167 from Las Vegas is airing tomorrow night (Saturday,
November 16th), marking the league’s 20th year in
existence, and they’re celebrating with some amazing fights. Chael Sonnen and
Rashad Evans will square off in the co-main event, followed by Johny Hendricks
vs. GSP for the welterweight title. These two matchups could easily headline
their own card, but you get them both in the same night, back-to-back. The
downside is that UFC 167 will be airing only on Pay-Per-View, but your local
bar might have it and, at the very least, Hooters is guaranteed to show it. Boobs
plus bloody dudes? Sounds like an All-American night to me. If you don’t want
to shell out the money for PPV, you’re antisocial and don’t want to go to the
bar (…or you’re a recovering alcoholic), and you don’t like shitty wings, you
could always just flip your channel over to FS1 for the post-fight show, which
would actually be a pretty good way to ease into the sport.
So let’s recap. The UFC is a sport
that I believe is on the verge of becoming mainstream; their partnership with
FOX is making the sport more accessible and attracting a wider (read: better)
demographic. If you liked pro wrestling as a kid – like WWE – or still do,
you’ll enjoy the UFC because it’s real. Honestly, the UFC is akin to a mixture
of the best parts of boxing and the XFL combined. It’s sheer brutality by some
of the world’s best athletes and most of them have badass nicknames. Sure, you
may be saying, “but you started this article talking about how football was in
decline due to the brutality, so the UFC won’t last” and to that I would argue
two things. First, no one goes into MMA without the knowledge that it’s a
dangerous sport. Boxing is much the same in this way. It’s almost accepted that
you can get seriously injured, whereas that knowledge was not available for
football until recently, and there’s still much to be learned about football
related injuries. Secondly, when you get a concussion in the NFL, you might be
back on the field the next week where you are immediately putting yourself in
danger of another brain injury. However, in the UFC, fighters go months between
fights and have plenty of time to be evaluated by doctors and fully recover.
All I’m asking is that you give it a
shot. If you still hate it after watching a few fights I’ll be surprised and
I’d like to know your argument against the UFC (and don’t use any of the
arguments against it that I already listed and rebutted). Imagine a bar fight where the two people
fighting are stone-cold sober, they’re highly trained in all aspects of
fighting, and no one breaks the fight up until someone taps out or gets knocked
out. I know you’d watch that. But, if after all this you’re still not willing
to tune in, at least go watch the movie Warrior.
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