More random thoughts from the world of sports….
Can anyone remember a more exciting group of young point guards all playing at such a high level so early in their careers as Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Brandon Roy have so far this season? Paul is second in the league in assists while averaging 20.7 points per game and Williams is fourth in assists while averaging 19.5 points and both of them have their teams on a collision course with the postseason. Roy has stepped up in the absence of 1st overall pick Greg Oden to lead his resurgent Blazers within striking distance of the final playoff spot in the west. I can see these three being stalwarts in the MVP voting for many years to come as their teams continue to add players to compliment their ever improving games. This may even be the year that Chris Paul gets serious consideration for the honor if the Hornets can hold on to their division lead down the stretch.
I can’t remember a college basketball season where no one wants to step up and seize the title of “No.1 team in the nation”. North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Tennessee have all attempted to steal the crown but none have been able to make it through the door without watching it slip from their heads. I think this will make for an incredibly wide open tournament come March with as many as 12-15 teams having a legitimate shot of going all the way in a season ruled by parity. Is anyone truly scared of facing North Carolina, who have been playing without a true point guard, come March? I challenge anyone who has consistently watched UCLA this season when it seems that every time they play a quality opponent they seem to need a huge run at the end to pull out a victory to tell me that they will be able to walk this tightrope during the tourney and not end up getting burned. Anyone out there believe John Calipari is gonna coach his team to glory? Does anyone doubt that if Coach K motivates his troops they don’t have just as good a chance to annoy fans everywhere by winning it all again? The days of the UCLA’s, the UNLV’s and the Dukes are gone. The days of the dynasty and the four year starter carrying his team to the promised land are gone. Early entries into the NBA have turned college basketball into a place where any team can win on any given night and where sure things no longer reside. The days of the dynasty are gone and I never thought I’d say this but I for one miss those days.
…but not that much!
Let me get this straight, The Senators who have been near or at the top of the Eastern Conference all season after making it to the finals last season are going through a rough patch that has seen them struggle to put points on the board so the GM who missed out on adding any significant pieces (Marian Hossa?) to improve his ailing club’s chances to regain it’s form fires the coach and takes over the day to day coaching duties? This is just another example of the person who is truly responsible for the problem finding a way to escape blame by trying to anoint himself as the solution. If the Senators somehow come out of this nose dive and make it to the finals again, Bryan Murray will be hailed for his firing of John Paddock and will probably get a big new contract even though the true catalysts will probably be his very talented players. Murray is just another slickster who used a good coach as a scapegoat for his shortcomings as a GM and I hope that the Senators get knocked out in the first round so Murray gets what’s coming to him and follows the man he stabbed in the back onto the unemployment line.
