NBA Dunk Contest

If the dunk contest is going to be like it was this past weekend, you might as well get rid of it. There were some shining moments, but for the most part I was scratching my head. Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz was your winner for those of you who didn't watch. If you didn't know who he was going into it, you weren't the only one. And if you still don't know who he is, once again you aren't the only one. When you dunk two balls at once, the chances of you winning are very good. The dunk contest is at times the highlight of the NBA All Star Weekend, but in recent years that hasn't been the case. Last year was by far the most exciting contest with Blake Griffin's performance since Dwight Howard's "superman" dunk in 2008 simply because Griffin was in it. We all knew he could jump out of the building, and he didn't disappoint anyone (see link above). I'm sure not many people could name the participants other than Griffin, mainly for the fact no "big name" NBA players want to be in it anymore or be in it at ll. Griffin did have some quality dunks though, like jumping over a car. This year you had Minnesota's Derrick Williams jumping over a motorcycle, which was very phasing because if you're going to jump over a motorcycle when someone jumped over a car the year before, the motorcycle better be on fire. Then there was Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, who's dunk you couldn't see all too well because he turned the lights off, then had black lights on, and a glow in the dark jersey. That one was also puzzling to me. People used to get excited for the dunk contest because the dunks were unique and the guys would show off their athletic ability, not their ability to use as many props as they can. I'm not saying what their doing isn't athletic, because I myself along with many Americans couldn't do these things without the help of a trampoline. It just doesn't get me to jump out of my seat like Vince Carter did in 2000 and like Dwight Howard in 2008. If you ask any NBA fan who they would like to see they would choose players like LeBron James, Derek Rose, Blake Griffin, and Dwight Howard; and they would like to see them do it more than once or twice. Hopefully next year the big time players will get involved and show us what a true dunk contest is about. And to the NBA, when the three point contest is more exciting than the dunk contest, you have a problem.

Upcoming Players to Watch

The NFL Combine starts tomorrow and there are the names you know like Stanford Quarterback Andrew Luck, Alabama Running Back Trent Richardson, and Baylor Quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. Those are the the first round guys that you know, and then there are the guys who will be in the first round that when their name is called you won't know as much, but they can have the same impact as those names you do know; those are the players to watch. Here are 5 players to keep an eye one during this weeks combine, April's NFL Draft, and the upcoming season:
-Miami Running Back, Lamar Miller: 5'11" 212lbs. Miller had 227 carries for 1,272 yards and 9 touchdowns. He is downhill runner who is patient and waits for the hole to open and then explodes to the next level. He has good vision and will be good back in the NFL. Miller's name could be called mid to late first round somewhere between 18-26.
-Mississippi State Defensive Tackle/Defensive End, Fletcher Cox: 6'4" 300lbs. Cox had a very productive season having 56 total tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. He can play both the 3 technique and 5 technique, he has the speed to come off the edge but also has the upper body strength to create the push right up the middle. Look for his name to be called in the middle of the first round.
-Clemson Defensive End, Andre Branch: 6'5" 260lbs. Branch had 77 total tackles, including 10.5 sacks for the Tigers. He has natural speed coming off the edge and has great closing speed for someone of his size. He hasn't shown the consistency that you'd like to see from someone with ability. He can break down in space and can stop a smaller, quicker back. He is going to have to put on 10-15 pounds to be an effective NFL pass rusher, if he can do so, you'll be hearing his name a lot on Sunday's.
-Arizona State Linebacker, Vontaze Burfict: 6'3" 252lbs. Burfict is a big kid who has a lot of natural ability. He can stop the run and loves sticking his nose right in the middle of the play. He is also a strong kid who can shed a blocker and get downhill, for someone of his size he has great speed. People know who he is, but people shy away from him because he sometimes takes plays off in a row, doesn't give 100%, and who might have a lot of "baggage" but is a first round talent who has the potential to dominate anyone who he is put up against.
-Nebraska Cornerback, Alfonzo Dennard: 5'10" 203lbs. Dennard is the type of corner that once the wide receiver gets off line he will stick with him. He is very physical and is tough to get off the line against. He has great speed for deep routs and has the ability to come up and stop the run but doesn't always show that ability. He can turn his hips and run with anyone. Often overshadowed by former Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara, he had his chance to shine during the 2011 season. Dennard was First Team All Big Ten having 31 total tackle and 6 pass breakups on the year. If he has a strong combine he could end up going late first round.

Be sure to check out 2012 NFL Combine, February 22-28. Get updates on all players and all drills right here at NFL.com.

The Fab Five: Changes in Basketball

Jimmy King, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, and Juwan Howard changed college basketball forever. I recently re-watched ESPN's documentary the "Fab Five" of these five Michigan Wolverine freshman and it made me realize how much these guys changed the game of college basketball and how we look at it today. If you watched college basketball before these guys came along you would have thought that things were never going to change and that the guys would be wearing short shorts for years to come. When the five freshman got to the Ann Arbor campus before the 1992 season, they had the idea of changing things. It started when Detroit native Jalen Rose wanted some longer basketball shorts to wear during practice and games, that started what would be a revolution for the game of basketball. Next to come were the all black Nike shoes, and the high black Nike socks, then the loose jerseys, the attitude they played with, the style they played with. The Fab Five had it all. The first big test they would have would be a match up against Duke, the defending National Champions lead by what Jalen Rose would describe as "the guys teams like Duke wanted to recruit", such as Grant Hill and Christian Laettner. Although they lost to Duke in overtime, the five freshman were able to hang around with the Blue Devils. It was the first time the nation had the chance to see what was happening at Michigan and it caught everyone's eye because no one had seen the swag, style, and attitude these guys played with before. Then on February 9, 1992 against Notre Dame, Michigan started five freshman, those freshman scored all the points for the Wolverines. The team went onto the National Championship game against North Carolina and eventually lost to Dean Smith and the Tar Heels, but the impact of that starting five has been felt since that season. If you look at the game now and the way it's played, and he swagger guys play with, that wouldn't have been possible if those five freshman didn't have that idea of change. That 1992 Michigan Wolverine basketball team was one of the most influential teams in college sports history, they changed college basketball the way the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980's changed college football. The basketball shoes we lace up today, the style we see and play with wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for the Fab Five. As Jalen Rose put it, "I bet you couldn't tell me who was on that North Carolina team that beat us". Change can be good, just ask every basketball player playing today.

Linsanity vs. Tebowmania

They both have caught our eye as a "feel good" story, they both have their own segment on ESPN, the puns are out of control, they both trend on topic when their name is mentioned. The question seems to be which one is bigger? The answer, you can't answer it because they are two completely different stories. If you asked 80% of sports fans who Jeremy Lin was a two weeks ago they would have no idea who you were talking about, unlike Tim  Tebow who coming out of high school everyone wanted, and once he got to Florida, everyone wanted to be him. Tebow won a Heisman Trophy, and two National Titles while in Gainesville. Arguably one of the greatest college football players of all time, coming out of senior year Tebow had everyone wrapped around his finger whether you liked him or not. It started even before that when people questioned whether he was going to be a quarterback or a tight end or a H-back or all of the above, can he change is throwing motion, can he run an NFL style offense, who's going to want to draft him. The questions were asked and answered by Tebow when he got drafted as a quarterback in the first round by the Denver Broncos, when he did change his throwing motion and while he didn't run a typical NFL pro style offense he did make plays when needed, such as the playoff game against the Steelers in overtime. He proved the doubters wrong, like myself. Will his success continue into next season? That's another question that will have to be answered. Now onto Jeremy Lin. The kid is ballin' like we haven't seen in someones first 5 starts. He is putting up number left and right. Here are those numbers, and the teams he's done it against; Nets (25), Jazz (28), Wizards (23), Lakers (38), Timberwolves (20), Raptors (27). Those teams have a combined record of 59-85. None of which are great defensive teams, I'm not even counting the Wizards as a "team". His last five games he's averaging 27.2 points, 8.8 assists and a whole lot of tweets. On Tuesday he did his best "Tebow" impression by hitting a three with .5 seconds left. How many of you knew Jeremy Lin before he went off against the Nets? Not many probably. He showed himself his senior year at Harvard, yes Harvard, against UConn. He was with the Warriors then got cut, he was with the Rockets then got cut, was in the D-League not that long ago which your hardly ever see guys come up from the D-League and have above average careers. He was about to get cut by the Knicks before that game, so I'm sure they're glad they didn't. I'm happy for the kid and hope he keeps going and just does his thing and I'll be rooting for him. Notice I didn't bring religion into the discussion, that's because it has nothing to do with the discussion. I'm not going to bring religion into it because its not my place to do so. That's all on you guys.