Jimmer Fredette: The Answer

The Utah Jazz are on track to finish in the worst possible position we imagined this year. Right now, they are bad enough to be no where near playoff contention, but also have no shot at getting a top 3 draft pick. Right now, the Jazz
have the 8th worst record in the NBA, and are only a few games behind the Cavs, Pistons, and Hornets.

The Kings just bought out Jimmer Fredette. He'll be a free agent in a few days. Jimmer signing a year contract with Jazz would be a Win-Win-Win situation for everyone involved.

WIN 1 - Many people in Utah (including myself and my friends) would immediately go buy the new Jimmer Jersey. We would make sure to go to a lot more games this year to see and support Fredette.  We love The Jimmer. We want to watch him shoot a couple 3 pointers and drive to the hoop once or twice a night. Is that too much to ask?

WIN 2 - Jimmer. He would be back in Utah where he is worshipped. He should get plenty of playing time and therefore a real chance to make a name for himself in the NBA. All while being cheered for like a superstar.

WIN 3 - The Jazz organization. And here is the Win-Win situation inside of the Win-Win-Win. First of all, they will make more money because of fans purchasing Fredette items and also from selling more tickets to the games. Second, If they sign Jimmer and give him plenty of playing time, one of two things will happen:

• WIN 3.1 - Either, Jimmer will be good and become a useful asset. If this happens, the Jazz look like geniuses. They gave Jimmer the chance he needed and he proved them right. The Jazz now have a bench player that contributes, gives them valuable minutes, and is an instant fan favorite. Everybody is happy. Everybody wins.

• WIN 3.2 - Or, Jimmer will be bad and we will lose more games. If this happens, the Jazz are just as good if not even better off. If Jimmer is bad, he causes Utah to lose more games. Therefore, he single-handedly becomes the solution to our problem of our limbo state. A bad Jimmer given playing time would get us right back in the race for Wiggins or Parker. The Jazz could then say to the fans "We gave Jimmer a chance, and it didn't work." Jazz get a top 5 round pick and cut Jimmer Fredette. Everybody is happy. Everybody wins.

Either way, Everybody wins.

He who remembers the past knows that LeBron James will win MVP 2014

The MVP race is the same every year. The person who wins the MVP was the MVP all year, and then there are a bunch of random contenders that change throughout the year to make you believe there's actually a "race."

For example. Here in Utah, we remember when Jimmer Fredette won player of the year. He was the only person in the MVP discussion for the whole season. However, because the media made up contenders, we weren't sure if he would win in until he actually won it. The media had us holding our breath as they talked up "the race." At the beginning of the year, it was a race between Sullinger and Fredette for POY. About mid season, Duke is playing well and Nolan is having a since streak. We forget about Sullinger and the media convinces us Nolan vs Jimmer is the real MVP race. Then Kemba Walker starts playing well in the last few weeks of the season and into the tournament. Now it Kemba vs Jimmer for POY, and the press again convinces us the Kemba actually has a 50% chance of winning it over the guy who's been the MVP all season. Who won it? Jimmer of course. They guy who's actually been in the race all year.

Remember last year in the NBA? At the beginning of the year, everyone was saying "It's LeBron vs Durant. One of those two will win the MVP." Then about 3 months into the season it was "CP3 or LeBron. One of those two." Then a few months later it was "Melo vs LeBron. One of those two." LeBron was always going to win it. The media just wanted some drama and we are always ready to eat it up.

Remember this year? "It's Paul George or LeBron. One of those two will win MVP." As if George had a 50% chance of winning MVP. And this went on for about 3 months. Durant wasn't even the picture. Then Durant plays 3 weeks of great basketball. Now all of  a sudden it's Durant that has 50% chance of winning the MVP. It's "LeBron vs Durant. One of those two for sure." I suspect in a month someone else will rise up, have a hot streak, and we'll forget about Durant (like we did George), and the articles will about "LeBron vs _______ for MVP." (see below for the articles about George vs LeBron for MVP).


If I had to guess on who will be "contender" for MVP at the end of the year, I'd say it will probably be Curry or Griffin. Everyone loves Curry and and we're so ready to crown him MVP. If Curry can start having some 30 point games and maybe one triple double, Durant joins George as a distant memory for MVP and it become LeBron vs Curry for MVP.

Then it will be time to chose an MVP. There will be all these sports articles, radio segments, and ESPN shows about why Curry should win the MVP over LeBron. Just like they're doing now with KD now. Just like they did with George two months ago (see links below). And Just like they did with Kemba Walker in 2011. Everyone will be biting they fingernails waiting to see the results and........

LeBron wins MVP again.

Obviously. It was always going to be him. He is by far the most valuable player.

The reason we make up all this "contention" for MVP is most likely because people love drama and because people love the underdogs. We were so quick to forget George and put Durant in his place (because neither are legit contenders for MVP over LeBron) and we will be just as quick to ditch KD for Curry if Curry can have 2 or 3 weeks of brilliants (we love drama and underdogs).




As promised, Here are some links for "Paul George for MVP over LeBron" written just two months ago.









December 17th - "Will one of these ballers be crowned MVP at the end of the year? Bank on it." 

( The name of this is "2014 NBA MVP LeBron James vs Paul George" with this picture attached ->)
http://streetball.com/photo/2014-nba-mvp-lebron-james-vs-paul-george

December 14th - "We now know PAUL GEORGE IS A SUPERSTAR AND THE LEAGUE MVP RIGHT NOW... What’s sad is LeBron James will probably win again" (I didn't add the caps. They were like that)...
http://blogs.1070thefan.com/2013/12/14/at-nba-quarter-pole-george-top-mvp-candidate/




December 11th - (ESPN) "After the Pacers' victory over the Heat on Tuesday... it seems appropriate now to make the argument for George over LeBron James and other top candidates. "

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/80317/paul-george-for-mvp-the-numbers-say-yes






December 10th - (ESPN) Skip Bayless tweets that Paul George in the "MVP front runner."https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/410580010324348928







December 4th - The name of this article is "MVP Rankings: Paul George back at No. 1"

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/12/04/sheridans-mvp-rankings-dec-4-edition-paul-george-back-at-no-1/







December 5th - (NBA.SI.COM ) A "buy or sell Paul George is the biggest threat to LeBron Jam'es MVP reign" between two "experts." One guy says yes and the other guy says no because "the biggest threat to LeBron James is a complacent LeBron James or an injured LeBron James."

http://nba.si.com/2013/12/05/blazers-paul-george-spurs-wizards-timberwolves-buy-sell/







December 1st - "And as of right now, the campaign is strong: PAUL GEORGE FOR MVP."http://isportsweb.com/2013/12/01/indiana-pacers-paul-george-mvp/

A Dark Horse Team for The King

After writing my article on the best teams for LeBron James (read it HERE), I began to chat with a good friend of mine. Scott has convinced me of a dark horse team for LeBron James that would make a lot of sence.

The Sacramento Kings.

Now I have to admit, when Scott first suggested the Kings as a possible destination for LeBron, I thought "no way." First of all, Scott is the biggest Kings fan I know. My first thought was that he is just being a homer fan hoping LeBron would go there. Jokingly, I suggested the Jazz would be a great fit as well.

I told him: The Kings are last place in the West. The Kings are so messed up they almost lost their franchise last year to Seattle. Plus they play in the west. Why would The King even consider leaving the 'Easy' East to join a messed up Kings team that's the worst team in the 'Wild' West?

Well, let me give you 3 good reasons why (all quotes come from my buddy Scott).

1. New front office. In recent past, this team has been really messed up. However, the ownership was to blame. Now they have new owner and are headed in the right direction. "The Kings Ownership group is really leading into a great future with the new arena and expanding to a global market... The Kings were a mess because of their owners who were incompetent, going broke and trying to get one last cash flush. They tried everything from Vegas to Virginia to get money for the Kings, and eventually settled for Seattle who tried to make a backdoor deal. That didn't go through and right now the NBA has proven how deeply committed it is to SAC. [The NBA] has found a great ownership group with a vision for the future and has a couple of bright young minds in Mike Malone (coach) and Pete D'Alessandro (GM) trying to right the ship." I think this is a great foundation. A good front office is very important (this is a huge reason why LeBron left Cleveland in the first place).

2. DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins might be the perfect compliment to LeBron. Cousins can't carry a team, but he can be an amazing #2. Right now, LeBron is carrying the burden of having to guard everyone. For example, every time they played the Celtics in the playoffs, LeBron had to guard Kevin Garnett. He was the only one that could contain KG. LeBron had to fight the Big Ticket all night because nobody else could. Stuff like that is taxing on LeBron, it gets him in foul trouble (LeBron fouled out in a playoff game the Celtics won in overtime) and defending players like KG takes him away from the parameter and help defense where the King really shines. LeBron also has to fight hard for every rebound because no one else on his team can get them. DMC would help immensely on defense and he is a rebounding machine. LeBron would be able to stay fresher for the offensive side of the ball, and also be able to do more help defense where he is so good. "The Kings roster really just needs a #1 option... and some depth and experience. Those things could all be added with the man who could be the King of the Kings." Scott also tells me DMC plays well against the great bigs like Hibbert and Howard. I haven't seen all the stats or watched the games like he has, but that would be a very nice cherry on top.


3.    Sacramento. Sacramento is a good basketball city. It's not Los Angeles or New York, but it also not Cleveland, Salt Lake or Denver. LeBron could get free agents to go there. It's a good place to live both weather wise and market/sponsor wise. There are good fans there. If LeBron goes there an wins just one title, he will be a God to them forever (same applies for other teams like the Knicks or Wizards, but fans like the Laker fans would not be happy with just 1 or 2 titles).

In conclusion, I like the Kings. Perhaps they are the perfect compromise. Its a good place to be (sponsors, etc) [but not as good LA (Clippers) or NYC (Knicks)]. It has a good front office (better than the Knicks, but not better than the Heat or the Clippers). The Kings have that "look how good I made them" factor (I love this about the Wizards as well. But staying with Miami or going to the Clippers would make them the automatic favorites. ) 

The pros of LeBron going to the Kings are:

• The Kings front office is no longer a mess and has formed a good foundation.
• Cousins may be the perfect Robin for LBJ's Batman.
• Sacramento is a good city all around (good weather, good marketing, etc...). 
• The expectation would be (relatively) low. (The only championship they've won was in 1951 when they were the Rochester Royals. If LeBron goes to the Lakers, he has to win  5 more rings to be considered the best ever. If he goes to the Kings and wins just one or two there, he's set. -"Think of what it would do for LeBron's Legacy to take a team from the worst in a tough conference to a title. I think if LeBron just teams up with some like CP3... it adds further credibility issues to his legacy...")

And one last quote from my main man Scott to wrap it up-

"Two other tidbits, LeBron offered to buy the kings (jokingly) to keep them in Sac and loves Kevin Johnson and showed his support for Sacramento. It's not a HUGE stretch to say he likes the team and could go there. Also, in one year, OKC went from 23-59 (worse the the kings will do this year) to 50-32 with some growth and maturity... If LeBron wants to prove he is the Man, he could come to Sac, play with DeMarcus Cousins and take the league by storm. Tell me what team anywhere is suited to stop those two. Houston with Howard? Cousins Kills him. Indiana? Maybe, but even Hibbert struggles against Cousins.... Hibbert can't stop him."

James joking about owning the Kings - http://www.news10.net/video/2088817229001/1/Kevin-Johnson-asks-LeBron-James-to-buy-Kings

Best Team for LeBron James

LeBron is amazing. He's a great person on and off the court. I love everything he stands for and hope the best for him. I think a lot about what he should do and where he should go. After watching the Allstar game last night, I've come up with the 5 best places for LeBron to go. So here they are (in no particular order):

1. Stay with the Heat. If it aint broke, don't fix it. Here you get to stay in the East. You have probably the best GM in the game in Pat Riley. Miami is a great place to live and has good weather. Stay with your BFF Dwyane Wade, keep riding your bike to the games, and keep enjoying yourself.

1. Clippers. CP3 + LeBron would be the best duo in the history of the NBA. You get Doc Rivers who is the 2nd best coach in the NBA. You'll be in Los Angeles so you get a ton of extra money with advertisements. And the L.A. press will turn you into G.O.A.T.

1. Wizards. Here you have a team that have been really bad for a long time. However, this year they're a bit underrated, lead by their underrated leader John Wall. After watching Wall in the Allstar game, I've decided I REALLY like this kid. I think he is better than Irving or Lillard right now. Great ball handling skills, good passer, and he's amazing at getting to the rim. If LeBron joined this team, he wouldn't be going to a BAD team he has to carry on his back. The world would see LeBron as the G.O.A.T. because he turned the Wizards into an NBA title team. The fans there would love him forever. D.C. is also a pretty good city to live in if you're trying to become the best ever.

1. Knicks. Another great city to live in if you want to be known as the Greatest Of All Time. If LeBron wins just one championship in NYC, he'd be the GOAT and the King of New York forever. Carmelo Anthony already said he'd take less money to stay in New York and win. When Melo plays with LeBron, he scores a lot and sets records (see: This Allstar game and also the 2012 summer olympics). When LeBron is demanding double/triple teams and driving to the hope, that leaves Melo wide open. Nobody is a better wide open, catch and shoot scorer than Melo. And nobody is better than driving to the hoop and finding the open man with a perfect pass than LeBron James. This would also be the greatest NBA duo of all time.

1. Eagles. Joe Theismann thinks LeBron would be a great QB and has volunteered to be his agent if James wants to try it out (LINK). James has recently said "I wanna play one NFL game before it's over (LINK). I've been pro LeBron to the NFL for a few years now, and the Eagles would be a perfect fit. They would be in contention for the playoffs right away. They have a great RB (McCoy) and athletic WRs. I knew Vick wouldn't last. And now they even have Chip Kelly and his offense that would suit LeBron perfectly. However, now that Nick Foles has emerged, the Eagles won't be so willing to take a flyer on LeBron. But maybe another team that has good talent and needs a QB would want him (Texans?). If LeBron went to the NFL and had success, he'd be known as the greatest athlete of all time.

2 places not to go:

The Cavs are a huge mess right now, both with the players and with the front office. I know Irving just won the Allstar game MVP, but I think Irving is very overrated right now. And besides Irving, this team really sucks. Cleveland is also a sucky city to be in if you're a basketball player.. Unlike LA or NYC, LeBron will not get very much help from the press or the advertisements. The living conditions are nothing like LA or Florida. No-one will want to go there with him. He should not go back to the Cavaliers.

Lakers. Going to the Lakers would be a big mistake. Many fans love LeBron for who he is and what he stands for. He's a great guy. He's earned everything he's won. He's a team first, selfless player. He's becoming the best ever and he's doing it on his own terms. Going to the Lakers would mold him in with everybody else. Abdul Jabbar, Magic, Wilt, Karl Malone, Shaq, Kobe... LeBron would be best served staying away from the Lakers. For the Lakers, winning a few championships is nothing. The Lakers always win, no matter who they have. LeBron would have to win at least 4 or 5 more rings if he goes to LA to be considered the best. The Lakers would be a bad move for LeBron.

In conclusion, LeBron should either stay where he is now, or go to a good basketball city (LA, DC, NYC, etc...) if he wants to be known as the GOAT. He should go somewhere that hasn't won a championship for a while. The fans there would love him forever and build a statue of him. He should go somewhere with potential so he can win, and somewhere with another good player so he doesn't get stuck like he did in Cleveland.

Or, now would be as good as time as any to try out being a QB in the NFL...

BONUS TEAM - http://keelesports.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-dark-horse-team-for-king.html

Russell Wilson: The Biggest's Factor

Tomorrow, we'll see this years best defensive team verses the best offensive team. It should be a great game.

Who's going to win?  Think the biggest factor will be the guy that has flown under the radar these two weeks.

There's been a lot of talk about Denver's offense vs Seattle's defense. Richard Sherman vs Peyton Manning. But I don't think the biggest factor will come from the Seattle defense or the Denver offense.

Russell Wilson has done everything he's needed to this post season. He's been smart and efficient. He has looked very comfortable and made few mistakes.

However, no game Wilson has ever played is anything like this game tomorrow. This is Wilson's second year. He is young and inexperienced, and I wonder it this Superbowl will be too big for Wilson this year.

We all know Peyton will be comfortable and handle the pressure well. This is his 13th playoff appearance, 23rd playoff game, and 3rd Superbowl. Wilson, however, will be way out of his comfort zone. How will he perform?

Let's look at Wilson's 4 playoff games.
2013
1 - at Washington. This is Wilson's only road playoff win, against a Redskins team that lost RGIII early in the game. Washington was not a good team without RGIII and Seattle would have won that game despite Wilson.

2 - at Atlanta. This was Wilson's biggest game of his career to that point. He and his team fell down by a lot of points early. Wilson and the Seahawks did rallied at the end but it wasn't enough to win.
2014

3 - vs New Orleans - This was at home. Home field advantage really helps calm down the nerves and helps you feel comfortable. Also, the Seahawks had already played the Saints at home this year, and destroyed them. Wilson knew they could beat them because they already done it. The stress and pressure was not very much.

4 - vs San Francisco. Again, this game was at home, against a team Wilson is very familiar with. Again, they had already KILLED the 49ers in Seattle so they knew they could do it again. Wilson was again comfortable and under little pressure.

Russell Wilson's 5th playoff game will be a most different story. This is his first Superbowl game. This will not be in Seattle but at a neutral (at best) field. Wilson is not as familiar with the Broncos. The only times Wilson has ever played the Broncos was in the early Preseasons. Wilson is going to be out of his comfort zone and under a lot of pressure in the biggest game of his career on the biggest stage in American sports.

If Wilson plays scared or if he tries to force things, the Seahawks are done for. If you give this Broncos team a lead like they gave Atlanta last year, they will lose. The Broncos are too good. If you throw picks or have too many 3 and outs (like the Bears did in 2007), you'll give this loaded offence lead by Peyton Manning short fields and tons of possessions (again, like 2007). Now, I don't care if you have the number one defense (like the Bears did of the Seahawks do); you're going to lose is you do this. I don't care if you have the NFC all-star defense coached by the Ryan brothers. You're still going to lose to this Broncos offensive if you give them tons of possessions and short fields.

Now I'm not saying Wilson can't do this. He's a smart and talented player. I'm saying there is more pressure on Wilson in this game than he's ever had before (and possibly more than he will ever have again). Every quarterback's dream is to get to and win the Superbowl. He doesn't know if he'll ever get another chance to play in the Superbowl. He's not playing at home. He's playing a team that he's never played against in the regular or post season. His counter part is Peyton Manning. 

I don't think the Broncos are the clear favorite. But If I were a betting man, I'm not putting my faith in the inexperienced Seahawks lead by their sophomore QB. I'm putting all my money on that loaded offensive lead by one of the most playoff experienced QB of all time.