Month: April 2008 (Page 2 of 30)

      Hack-a-Shaq rears its ugly head (again)

      April 30, 2008 /

      After a thrilling double-overtime Game 1 for the ages, the Suns/Spurs series came to a rather unremarkable close last night when the Spurs won at home, clinching the series 4-1. Throughout the five games, San Antonio utilized the Hack-a-Shaq defense, intentionally fouling Shaquille O’Neal and putting him on the line to try to end the Suns’ possessions. For the most part, it worked, as O’Neal shot a woeful 32 of 64 (50%) from the line.

      I don’t blame the Spurs for utilizing a perfectly legal tactic in attempt to win a game or series, but it’s a little bush league, isn’t it? From a fan’s point of view, it really slows the game down and hinders the enjoyment of watching two good teams battle each other for the right to advance in the playoffs. Honestly, it was kind of sad to see a proud team like the Spurs utilize Hack-a-Shaq.

      That said, it’s the league’s fault for allowing it to continue. There’s a rule prohibiting it in the final two minutes of a game, but for the other 46, it’s fair game. Former coach and current television analyst Jeff Van Gundy says that the league can’t legislate for a player’s weakness. That is, they can’t put in rules to protect Shaq just because his free throw shooting stinks.

      To a certain extent, I agree with him. But the league can (and has) put in rules to make the game more enjoyable to watch. And whatever we can do to reduce the number of foul calls (and subsequent free throws) will only enhance the game. I never understood why the league has flagrant fouls, but no “intentional” fouls. When a player comes up and hugs Shaq (and he doesn’t have the ball), that’s an intentional foul. Officials can tell the difference between this and an off-the-ball foul that happens during the normal flow of the game (such as Boris Diaw grabbing Manu Ginobili as he tries to go around a screen). If you intentionally foul a player without the ball, the rule should be that the player gets one free throw and the team keeps possession of the ball. This would eliminate Hack-a-Shaq altogether and certain NBA games (that have Shaq, Ben Wallace, or any other horrible free throw shooter) would be much more enjoyable to watch.

      Get it done, Stern. (I’m not holding my breath.)

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals

      Ballpark Rankings

      April 30, 2008 /

      SI.com had the fans rank all 30 MLB ballparks. Below are the top and bottom five based on overall ratings.

      Top:

      1. Cleveland Indians, Progressive Field
      2. Milwaukee Brewers, Miller Park
      3. Pittsburgh Pirates, PNC Park
      4. Detroit Tigers, Comerica Park
      5. St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium III

      Bottom:

      26. Minnesota Twins, Metrodome
      27. Texas Rangers, Rangers Park in Arlington
      28. New York Mets, Shea Stadium
      29. Washington Nationals, RFK Stadium
      30. Florida Marlins, Dolphin Stadium

      Of these, I’ve only been to Comerica and Dolphin Stadium and I must say – the fans have them right on both accounts. Comerica is absolutely beautiful and there isn’t really a bad seat in the house. Dolphin Stadium on the other hand, feels like you’re watching the game from the moon, which makes sense considering it’s a football stadium.

      General Sports, MLB

      Durant edges Horford for ROY honors

      April 30, 2008 /

      The Seattle Times is reporting that Kevin Durant will win Rookie of the Year.

      Kevin Durant, who led all first-year players in scoring, assists and free-throw percentage, will be named the NBA’s rookie of the year and become the first Sonics player to win the award.

      Two league sources confirmed Durant outdistanced second-place finisher Al Horford, an Atlanta forward. The sources spoke anonymously because the official announcement is scheduled for Thursday.

      In my year-end awards column, I made the case for Al Horford, but predicted that the sportswriters would go with Durant due to his high scoring average.

      ROY is a two-horse race between Kevin Durant and Al Horford. There’s no doubt in my mind that Durant is going to be a superstar, but Horford has the edge efficiency wise (16.5 to 15.2) and has done it in three fewer minutes a game. In the end, I think voters will gravitate towards Durant’s 20.1-point average (along with his unequaled potential), but Horford has a big edge in rebounds, FG% and PPS. Let’s not forget that the Hawks are playoff-bound while the Sonics have the second worst record in the league. There’s something to be said about the timing of Horford’s arrival in Atlanta and their sudden development into a playoff team, albeit a bad one.

      I think Horford has the edge, but Durant will probably win it. Given the fact that KD has played his best ball in the second half of the season despite having virtually no help, it won’t be a huge travesty if he goes home with the trophy.

      Horford deserves the award, but Durant won it. Life goes on.

      I’m now four-for-four in my predictions, but the MVP is the big one, and I have the feeling I backed the wrong horse.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Underclassmen in the Draft

      April 29, 2008 /

      Are you kidding me? Who’s next for the NBA draft? I hear there is a back up guard at New Jersey Tech who is putting his name in the draft. Not really, but that’s how cheap the list of underclassmen entering the draft has become. The NBA needs to do something to fix this before it becomes even more of a joke.

      Take for example the fact the Tyler Hansborough, the collegiate player of the year, is coming back for his senior year. However, three of his teammates have put their name into the draft. I can’t blame the players. They don’t listen to their coaches anyway. And most coaches just say go ahead. It gives them a little publicity for their program. Why shouldn’t the players get free trips to work out for teams all across the country. It’s just like being recruited again.

      David Stern you need to either step in and close the loop hole or better yet. Allow players to jump to the NBA right out of high school. LeBron James has done pretty well for himself. Even Darius Miles, whose playing career has been a bust, still banked more money than most people can only dream about.

      Here’s my suggestion. Let the players put their name in after their junior year. Make it closer to the baseball rule. You can be drafted out of high school, but once you are in college you can’t look at the NBA until after your third year in college. Forget about age. A lot of kids go to prep school and are 19 or 20 by the time they get to college.

      Close the loophole and give acedemics more than just lip service.

      Speaking of Tyler Hansborough: His little brother Ben has tranferred from Missisippi State to Notre Dame. Ben averaged, 10 points a game for the Tigers last year. Give Rick Stansbury credit he was the only one who thought he was good enought to play at that level coming out of high school. And this is how Ben repays him.

      College Basketball

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