A Purrrseason Preview (Defense)

A  Purrrseason Preview

            The fans that prowl the Carolinas have very high hopes and expectations for their Carolina Panthers this season. To go along with the fans large expectations for the team, the players have their own high hopes. In the last 3 months, three Carolina Panthers (Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, & Ryan Kalil) have made guarantees that they would win the Super Bowl this season. Yes, 3 months, 3 Super Bowl Championship guarantees by 3 different players. The Panthers have made this season a mission and all of Carolina hopes they deliver.

Here is a position-by-position preview of the team as they open camp:

Defense/Specialists

Defensive Line:

            -The defensive line is without a doubt the weakest unit of this year’s Carolina Panthers. Charles Johnson is the biggest threat to an opponent’s backfield on this line; He has 20.5 sacks combined the last two seasons. I’m still not sure Johnson, who is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery, is worth the money the Panthers are giving him, but granted they couldn’t afford to lose him. Johnson will be the 15^th highest paid athlete in the world this season and he better play up to it. Lots of hype is surrounding DT Ron Edwards who was a free agent signee in 2011 from the Kansas City Chiefs but tore his tricep in training camp last year and missed the whole season. Edwards contributing at the DT position is critical to the Panthers season and improving the league’s 25^th defense that featured the 26^th most sacks in the NFL last season. The other starters look to be DT Terrell McClain and Greg Hardy (“The Kraken”) at DE. Hardy, who gained 23 pounds this offseason to get him to 300 lbs., said he has maintained his speed to go along with his weight gain. It’s great that Hardy has worked that hard physically to get his body into that shape, but he has to approach the mental part of the game better, he plays at one speed and that needs to change. 2^nd year DT Sione Fua will rotate in this season after being shoved into a starting role as a rookie last season. This unit needs to just reach the “bend, but don’t break” point and I think the Panthers will be just fine.

Linebackers:

            -The Panthers used their 1^st round selection on Boston College LB Luke Kuechly who had quite the decorated college career. During Kuechly’s junior season he won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. During his sophomore and junior seasons he led the NCAA in tackles and finished 2^nd all-time in NCAA history in tackles, and was 13 short of owning the all-time NCAA record. During his junior season, Kuechly averaged 16 tackles a game, something only 1 other player in the history of college football has accomplished. Kuechly has been starting at weak side linebacker during the offseason, with Pro Bowler Jon Beason in the middle, and James Anderson on the strong side. Beason says he prefers to be in the middle but Coach Ron Rivera has said that both Beason and Kuechly will see time in the middle. Beason is coming off an Achilles injury he suffered in Week 1 last year and looks to return to his previous form that earned him three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. On the strong side, Anderson is a much underestimated player by many people; Only 3 players have had more tackles combined the last two seasons than James Anderson. This linebacker unit for the Panthers has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL. Thomas Davis, returning from yet another knee injury, will rotate in at both outside linebacker positions. I love Thomas Davis and what he has done during his years in Carolina and I understand his knees are supposedly fine now but I think Kuechly and Anderson are primetime football players and need to be on the field as much as possible. I just hope Coach Rivera feels the same.

Secondary:

            -A much underappreciated part of the Panthers 2011-2012 season was the play of CB Chris Gamble. Gamble, someone who has never made a Pro Bowl, played at an All-Pro level last season in my opinion, and I know many experts who agree. The Panthers and their fans should be very excited if Gamble can replicate that kind of season again. The Panthers secondary needs to have the same mindset of the defensive line, “bend but don’t break”.  Brandon Hogan, Captain Munnerlyn, and rookie Josh Norman are the three cornerbacks in the running for the starting right cornerback position. Hogan barely played last season because of an ACL tear he suffered in December of his last season at West Virginia. He’s healthy now and battling Norman and Munnerlyn for that starting spot. Munnerlyn, a much-maligned corner out of South Carolina, started the majority of the games last season but has serious competition this season. Rookie CB Josh Norman has shown great lateral quickness to go along with his big frame during the offseason and actually may start Week 1 in Tampa. An unnamed Charlotte Observer columnist told me, “The front office doesn’t think Brandon Hogan is going to be quite what they thought he was going to be and they think Josh Norman is going to be more than they thought he’d be.” Only time will tell but I think Gamble and Munnerlyn will be the Week 1 starters but eventually Gamble and Norman will be the starters with Munnerlyn becoming the Nickel corner, a position I think he can really excel in with his tackling and blitzing abilities. Hogan and former New England Patriot Darius Butler will simply add depth to the position. At the safety positions, Charles Godfrey and Sherrod Martin will both return as the starters. Fans have been critical of both Godfrey and Martin, but the two players have the coaches’ full support. I am actually a fan of both players and believe that they both may have breakout years this season. The Panthers signed former Baltimore Raven S Haruki Nakamura this offseason and although many believed he was brought in to challenge Godfrey and Martin for one the safety positions, he was actually brought in just to provide depth and help the Panthers dreadful special teams.

Specialists:

            -While the Panthers let the last original Panther go in K John Kasay last offseason because of frustrations of having to have one player as the place kicker and another player to handle the kickoffs because of Kasay’s lack of leg strength, the Panthers are right where they were in 2010. Kasay’s replacement, Olindo Mare, certainly may be the most disliked Panther right now. Mare got booed, very loudly, on the first day of training camp because he hit a kick off the upright. Although the Panthers had the 4^th best touchback percentage in 2011, the front office brought in former Canadian Football League K Justin Medlock. The big leg UCLA-product has seemed to put the ball even further into the stands than Mare did last season. Medlock has NFL experience with many NFL teams and was a consensus 1^st team All-American in 2006 while at UCLA. Medlock also has plenty of place-kicking talent in case the villain, Olindo Mare, experiences some late game chockery again (I think I possibly just made up ‘chockery’). 

The Panthers used their 6^th round pick in 2012 on Wisconsin P Brad Nortman. Nortman was very impressive during OTAs, absolutely booting some balls and seems to be an upgrade from long time punter Jason Baker. In terms of kick and punt returners, WR Kealoha Pilares, WR Armanti Edwards, CB Captain Munnerlyn, and rookie WR Joe Adams figure all to be in the mix. Fans should get very excited when they see Adams on the field, his return skills, speed, and quickness are elite and that is exactly why the Panthers drafted him. My guess is that Pilares will begin returning kicks with Adams returning punts but by week 6 or so, expect Adams to be the full-time returner.

            When reading this, keep in mind that great all-around defenses have not been the secret to championships (well a good pass rush has but besides that it hasn’t been). In the 2011-2012 season the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants had the 22^nd best defense, their opponent, the New England Patriots, had the 31^st defense, and the team that finished the regular season with the best record, the Green Bay Packers, had the 32^nd defense in the NFL. Yes the worst. So again: Bend, but don’t break.

A Purrrseason Preview (Offense)

A  Purrrseason Preview

            The fans that prowl the Carolinas have very high hopes and expectations for their Carolina Panthers this season. To go along with the fans large expectations for the team, the players have their own high hopes. In the last 3 months, three Carolina Panthers (Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, & Ryan Kalil) have made guarantees that they would win the Super Bowl this season. Yes, 3 months, 3 Super Bowl Championship guarantees by 3 different players. The Panthers have made this season a mission and all of Carolina hopes they deliver.

Here is a position-by-position preview of the team as they open camp:

Offense

Quarterback:

          -Cam Newton enters his second season as the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year while coming off possibly the greatest rookie season in history. Newton seems to have done everything this offseason to avoid the dreaded off-season slump. He came to every single voluntary workout and participated in every single practice during OTAs. It is very important for the Panthers season that Newton improves on his season from last year, and Head Coach Ron Rivera believes that also. During OTAs Rivera was asked about the possibility of Newton going through a sophomore slump and Rivera responded with, “We’re going to go as far as he goes.” That’s a lot of pressure put on the young quarterback’s shoulders but as Pro-Bowl offensive tackle Jordan Gross said, “He’ll be fine dealing with pressure. No one puts more pressure on Cam Newton than Cam Newton.”

         

            *Derek Anderson will continue to be the back-up with 2010-2011 starter Jimmy Clausen as the third stringer. Panther fans should feel comfortable with their back-up quarterbacks; Anderson is a 1-time Pro Bowler with the Cleveland Browns in 2007 and is very familiar with the offense. Clausen has shown significant zip on his passes this offseason and has impressed Coach Ron Rivera.

Running Back/Fullback:

          -Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, also known as “Double Trouble”, combined for one of their worst seasons in history as a backfield duo last season. Both backs played injured for most of the year last season, however both enter training camp this July 100% healthy and would like to keep it that way. Arguably the biggest move by the Panthers this off-season was signing free agent all-purpose back Mike Tolbert. Tolbert, a former San Diego Charger, was attractive to the Panthers because of his offensive versatility. Tolbert will play some sort of a fullback/H-back role for the offense and will be utilized in creative ways by offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Chudzinski, who players & coaches refer to as Coach Chud, has been described as a “mad scientist” by Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart, and many other players. During scrimmages this off-season, Chud has had Tolbert lined up in the backfield as the primary blocker, but also out wide in the slot and even out as wide as a primary receiver. In the OTAs lone scrimmage, Tolbert received as many touches as Williams and Stewart. Many players are looking forward to the extra dimension Tolbert will bring to the offense, and Panthers fans should too.

         

             *A player to watch out for, more than likely only in the preseason, is rooking running back Tauren Poole out of Tennessee. Poole went undrafted out of UT and the Panthers signed him as an undrafted free agent in May. Poole was an Academic All-American every year at Tennessee and  rushed for over a 1,000 yards in his first year starting as a junior, when he was named as an All-SEC Team selection but went on to have a rough senior season only rushing for 734 yards. Poole impressed me with his blend of size and speed, and also impressed the Panthers enough to sign him to a permanent team contract.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:

          -The unquestioned leader of this unit is 5-time Pro Bowl WR Steve Smith, whose recent actions are just another example of how he’s grown up. Certain events transpired during the years of 2004-2007 that made people question his character (events that I will not speak of because as a Panthers fan I’ve blocked out because he’s the greatest Panther of All-Time). Smith recently donated $100,000 to the victims of the Aurora, CO shootings and their families. In the last 18 months, Smith has shown several times that he is now a great leader on the team to go along with the great family man and Christian he has always been off the field. Quite possibly the most anticipated position battle for the fans is the 2^nd wide receiver spot. Sorry to tell fans, but there is going to be no battle. Rivera and Co. love the work that3rd year WR Brandon LaFell has been putting in to go along with his talent and Rivera has said several times that LaFell is the Panthers #2 receiver, yet media people and fans seem never to take that to heart. Also I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say that I was impressed with WR Kealoha Pilares in his 1^st season and what he can bring to the Panthers receiving corp. This past week’s trade for former Oakland Raider receiver Louis Murphy brings another LaFell-like receiver to the roster; Murphy brings depth to the group and provides insurance for oft-injured WR David Gettis. Gettis, who in my opinion is becoming very Jeff Otah like, is beginning training camp on the PUP list and will start when team doctors feel like he can. The Panther coaching staff, along with fans, would love to see a 4-wide receiver set featuring Smith, LaFell, Gettis, and Murphy, a group who could cause many problems for an opposing secondary. Rookie speedster Joe Adams out of Arkansas will mainly be seen in the return game but could be useful in the slot with his elite quickness.

           

             -The acquisition of TE Greg Olsen from the Chicago Bears last season proved to be a valuable asset for sensational rookie QB Cam Newton. Olsen, who was not utilized correctly in Chicago, found a home in Chudzinski’s offense as well as in Charlotte. Olsen, a new father, said he and his family love Charlotte and the people that make the city what it is and he also stated he would love to finish his career as a Panther. The Panthers didn’t bring back his tag-team partner Jeremy Shockey, and are not likely to, because the coaching stuff very much believes in young tight ends Gary Barnidge and Ben Hartstock. Barnidge, who was having a great training camp last year until breaking his ankle, is 100% healthy and ready to show what he can bring to the table. Hartstock, who is more of a blocking tight end, compliments Olsen and Barnidge very well, who in my opinion are much underrated blockers at the tight end position.

Offensive Line:

          

               -The Panthers believe that they have one of the most underrated offensive line units in the NFL. I agree, with a line anchored by Pro Bowl Tackle Jordan Gross and Pro Bowl Center Ryan Kalil, the Panthers have experienced veterans at the two most important positions along the line. Only the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers have had two players along the offensive line elected to the Pro Bowl in the same year in the last three seasons but only the Panthers have accomplished that in consecutive years. Gross, in an interview with WFNZ in Charlotte in July, was asked about Week 3's showdown with the reigning Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and their vaunted front 4, his response: "Just make sure to watch me that Thursday night."


               -In April, the Panthers invested their 2^nd round pick in Midwestern State guard Amini Silatolu who has been starting at LG since OTAs opened. Silatolu, a controversial pick to the casual football fan, has impressed players and coaches with his strength, hard work, and willingness to learn. Sticking Amini in between Pro Bowlers Gross and Kalil will help him exponentially in his rookie season. On the other side, the Panthers traded RB Mike Goodson to the Oakland Raiders for T Bruce Campbell but the right side will likely feature Geoff Hangartner at RG and 2011 undrafted rookie Byron Bell at RT. The front office and coaching staff obviously believe in Bell because of their recent trade of oft-injured T Jeff Otah to the New York Jets. Bell impressed in his rookie season and looks to continue is improvement during training camp and into this season.

2012 Olympics

How awesome this is.
First of all, how can you not be excited about the 2012 Olympics being held in London.  Not excited for the fact that they are being held in London in particular, but the fact that they are being held at all.  This is perhaps the crowning achievement in sports history, one that stretches back to the furthest annals of recorded history.  The first records of the Olympics were dated in 776 B.C, but it is almost certain that the games were held prior to that.  After being banned in the year 393 A.D, the modern day Olympics were revived and started back up in 1896 in Athens, Greece.  The Games have united us ever since, a chance for countries to set aside their political differences and agendas for some good old fashioned competition.  Although some major sports such as baseball, football, soccer and others have championships such as the Super Bowl or the World Cup that are more valued then the Olympic Games, there is no substitute for the Olympics in the global sense.

Now I'm going to watch as much of the games as possible, but I will be 100% sure to watch each and every USA Men's Basketball game, just as I have watched each and every exhibition game thus far.

For those who would like to join in supporting our national team every step of the way to gold, here is their schedule.

So, if you haven't already noticed in reading our awesome blog, I love watching basketball.  Especially the NBA.  So the idea that all of our best players (not including Drose, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh & Dwight Howard, due to injury) from the best basketball league in the country, come together as one team to take on the rest of the world gets me pumped.  No matter the result of each game, whether its a blowout or a close game, having Chris Paul throw an alley-oop to LeBron or Kobe kicking it out of a double team to a wide open Carmelo Anthony is the sweetest thing that could happen to me this summer. ( sorry Euro 2012).  These guys also look to be enjoying playing with each other, and why wouldn't they?  It isn't often that you get to team up with the guys you compete against. (unless you are LeBron James)  Anyone who has played sports knows that playing with guys that are equally as talented as you is a whole lot of fun.  These players go from being the superstars on their respective squads to taking on different roles on a team full of star power.

Now we have the most talented squad in the world, and we are and should be heavy favorites to win the Gold and defend our #1 ranking according to FIBA. 
We cruised through our exhibition schedule that included a 22 point win over our closest competition in Spain, and a squeaky 6 point win over a sneakily good Argentina squad that beat us in the 2004 games.  As my friend Davis pointed out, we beat Spain the first time in 2008 by 34 before a close 11 point victory in the gold medal game.  So obviously, exhibition results don't really matter much, especially vs. Spain when MARC (with a c) Gasol sat out with a vagina ........ummmmm wassup I mean shoulder injury.  Side note.  Marc (with a c) Gasol was quoted as saying the following: "On a bad day for the '92 team, the current team would lose by just 15 or 20 points against them."- Marc (with a c) Gasol.

First of all, as I stated with my article comparing the '92 dream team to our current squad, it is ridiculous and impossible to compare teams/players/coaches from any sport in different years.  But such is the nature of sports, people are always trying to define who is the best ever and comparing different ages etc.  However, this is mostly done by the talking heads in media who have nothing else to do during the dog days of summer when Sportscenter's top 10 plays are flooded with baseball highlights.  Apparently, Marc (with a c) Gasol considers himself to be a Philosophizer ( scroll down to the bottom, but all are fantastic quotes.  I couldn't find a youtube clip sadly).  Does anyone know Marc (with a c)'s age when the Dream Team played?  I do, and the number is 7.  So obviously, he knew a lot about basketball as he watched far and away the best players in the world play each country's who's who of gym-class heroes.  Lesbi-honest, international basketball was trash back then, and has gotten a lot better, but still is not even close to the US team.  So shut the hell up Marc (with a c).  There is no reason for you to say that in the first place when your current team can't even hang with our injury depleted team.

That rant being over with, let's talk a little about Spain's chances of beating us.  They have a roster full of NBA talent, with the Gasol brothers, Jose Calderon, Rudy Fernandez, and Serge (3 goaltends in the first half) Ibaka.  They have a definite advantage of size down low.  The only way they can win is if they keep the game in a half court setting, and knock down a couple of open 3's when their bigs kick it back out.  They are capable of doing this, but this strategy depends on them being able to score almost every time they have the ball.  If they turn the ball over or miss a shot, the US gets to do what it is best at: transition basketball.  Our athletic guards are great at pushing the ball upcourt, and they are also great at creating turnovers by harrassing other nations guards.  So look for the US to keep up their defensive intensity to create easy buckets.  One thing that Fran Fraschilla has said during his color commentary is that teams will try to play zone to stop the penetration of the US.  This is a retarded strategy, especially when you have sharpshooters like Kevin Durant and Melo prowling the perimeter.  One thing I love about this current team is our scoring versatility.  In at least 4 of the 5 exhibition games, we have had a different leading scorer each game.  So even though Spain might make it a close game in the final, the USA will win every game by a landslide.

Another Side Note: Carmelo Anthony is far and away my favorite player without a title, and might (but definitely not) surpass King James as my favorite player.  Actually, until James does a chocolate Milk commercial, Melo is my favorite.  So everyone set their alarms for 9:25 Eastern time Sunday morning, and get ready to witness a ruthless march to the highest podium by our national team, starting vs France.

MELOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

******A couple of changes now that the guru(Davis Willaims ladies and gentlemans) has pointed out to me
1.The Gold Medal game vs Spain in '08 was a 2 point game with 2 and a half minutes left
2. This current team (2012) has played against more NBA players in their first 2 exhibitions then the Dream Team of '92 played in the whole Olympics (exhibitions included)
3. This one is my own.  These guys genuinely seem to like each other.  The whole decision with the BIG 3 in the Miami Heat was started when LeBron and Bosh and Wade started playing with each other and developing relationships when they spent time playing internationally.  We all know what happened from there. Melo, CP3 and the rest are all good friends due to the Redeem Team of '08.  If you follow players like Melo, Kevin Love, CP3 just to name a few, they have been sharing quite a bit of photos on instagram(gay) and tweeting at each other a lot.  Now even if Kevin Love is bullied (probabable) for being the only white guy with skill on the roster, it looks like the '08 core is meshing pretty well with the Kevin Durant squad of new guns that won the FIBA World Championships in 2010.  Like I said earlier, these guys look like they are having a genuinely good time.  And if they aren't, they are faking it pretty well.  This is a big deal, as teams such as Argentina have been playing together for almost a decade and have had time to build up some chemistry and teamwork.  If our program continues to progress at the level it is, we should be dominant for a long, long time.

I Hate this Place

Here are a few of the cities that I hate.  Some, there are no reason but I have found reasons.  Some are sports related, some are not.  This is for Davis Williams and Will Lawson.  I'm extra bored at work and just got all Janoris Jenkins, Michael Phelps, etc during lunch before writing this.  Ranked in order of most to least hate. Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate - Time Hater

1. Seattle

• It rains all the damn time.  Like literally every day.
• Twilight was filmed there.
• It's so bad that the Seattle Supersonics left and now are one of the best teams in the NBA in OKC.
• The Seattle Mariners have zero AL Pennants, and zero World Series Championships
• The Seahawks have won the conference once, and have zero SuperBowl Titles.
• It's like the ultimate place for hipsters.  The word hipster was probably even created there.
• The only good things are that its the Headquarters of Starbucks, which is overpriced anyways, and the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix.

2. Cleveland

• I mean come on.  The Browns, The Indians, and the Cavaliers.
• Even its best product ever, the King LeBron James had to abandon it.
• Dan Gilbert
• (Kyrie Irving, if you read this, leave ASAP)

3. Panama City

• Worst spring break of my life.  Unless you're a huge guido that isn't cool enough to chill in Jersey.

4. New York

• Actually the only thing that I hate about this city is the Yankees.  In fact it is probably America's best and most important city, and I like the Mets and the Knicks, mostly cause Melo is a BOSS.

5. Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota

• I mean I can't name like any of their cities.  They are basically invisible and might as well not exist or be figments of my imaginition.

6. Clemson

• Fuck Clemson. We wipe the field with their trashy teams every time we play. Fuck Clemson.

There are probably more, but I'm running out of creativty and ideas and I think its time for me to leave work early.  Peace out ya'll

Keep Dreaming

With the unveiling of the 2012 Team USA Men's Basketball team this past Saturday, a hot-button issue this week in sports has arisen: Who would win in a game, the 1992 Dream Team or the 2012 Olympians?

The problem with answering this question is the large amount of variables you have to take into account. You can try and make a cut-n-dry answer but it wouldn't be a very educated guess. With the amount of injuries this 2012 team has endured, would you say that the "real" 2012 Olympic team includes Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and a healthy Blake Griffin, or would you just judge the situation as is? In terms of the Dream Team, would you add the snub, Isiah Thomas, would you add Hakeem Olajuwon, who later would become an American citizen, and also, would you include Shaquille O'Neal instead of Christian Laettner? And that's just the variables of the two rosters.

In terms of the game, are you thinking just the best 5-on-5 or are you including bench play? Are you saying its each player in their primes, or each player in their current state of the team? 20 years ago the rules were slightly different, which set of rules and regulations are you going with? Also, are you factoring in the tendencies of Chuck Daly and Coach K?

In my mind I'm going to with the current rosters, in the state they were during the period of time these teams played, and the 2012 set of rules since I know them best.

For starting line-ups I'm going with:

Dream Team:                                                        2012 Team:

G - Michael Jordan                                               G - Russell Westbrook
G - Clyde Drexler                                                 G - Kobe Bryant
F - Scottie Pippen                                                 F - LeBron James
F - Charles Barkley                                               F - Carmelo Anthony                
C - David Robinson                                              C - Tyson Chandler

While the Dream Team is on offense I'd switch the match-ups a little, I'd have LeBron on Jordan (Wow), Westbrook on Drexler, and Kobe on Pippen. While the 2012 team is on offense I'd have Pippen on LeBron, Jordan on Westbrook and Drexler on Kobe. I would definitely give the advantage to the Dream Team in terms of starting 5 but bench play is where I think 2012 could put up some points against the Dream Team. You have CP3, Durant, Deron Williams, Harden, Iggy, and more off the bench but all the players I named would attack the Dream Team's biggest weakness: youth and athleticism, which is what Kobe Bryant was referring to when he started this whole thing.

Off the bench, the Dream Team would have to play Magic, always had trouble with quick guards and hadn't played competitive basketball in a year and a half, Bird, who's back was basically broken and had no business really playing(Sorry Larry, I love you), Stockton, let's face it white folk, not the most athletic person out there, and then Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone. The thing that would be interesting to me is to see how the no-hand-checking rule in today's NBA would effect the Dream Team. During the early '90s and beyond, MJ, and even Drexler, were unstoppable even with hand-checking allowed. I went with the 2012 rules because I thought it would be easier to simulate how players would have played without hand-checking then with hand-checking allowed.

The 2012 Olympians would have the advantage off the bench in a way. If they could get out on the break then yes they have the advantage all day but if not, the Dream Team would kill them inside in their half-court sets. However if the Dream Team tried to press today's team, they would get eaten alive by LeBron and Co. The style of basketball was simply different back then. The Dream Team could score 9 out of 10 times in half-court sets, I think the 2012 team could only do that if Durant or someone has a game like KD did last night. Today the NBA is very much a transition, 3 pt., and isolation driven league in terms of offense while in the successful early 90s teams thrived on ball movement and execution in the half-court.

There are a lot of what if's you could throw into this potential match-up. The problem I have with computer simulations is the fact that the computer can't factor in competitiveness, drive, toughness, and attitude. I think the Dream team destroys the 2012 team in all four of those categories. That's why, and because they have Jordan, I choose the Dream Team to beat this year's Olympians. I do think it would be a close game, not the 25-point shellacking that Scottie Pippen thinks it would be.

Look there's too many variables, so many that it's even hard to write about who would win in a match-up. To be completely honest, and I know I'm contradicting myself, but I tried the best I could to discount as many of the variables as I could, even though you simply have to take into account some to pick a winner. Both teams are loaded with talent, but still have weaknesses the other could exploit, I simply decided that I think the Dream Team's weaknesses could be exploited less than the 2012 team's could. I actually think this year's squad could run into some trouble if they don't bring it every night, and I didn't factor that into my decision because you would have to be completely and utterly naive to think that the countries the 1992 team played had the same caliber players this years team will face.

My thoughts and predictions are obviously my own and I don't think you're right or wrong for what you believe, it's all opinion, and it's all it will ever be......until we get time machines.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

"It'd be a tough one, but I think we'd pull it out,"

This is Kobe's response to how the current roster for the 2012 Olympics in London would fare against the famed 1992 dream team.

Lets start with the rosters.

1992:

Magic Johson, PG, 6'9", 220lbs, L.A. Lakers
Charles Barkley, PF, 6'6", 250lbs, Phoenix Suns
Chris Mullin, SF, 6'7", 215lbs, Golden State Warriors
John Stockton, PG, 6'1", 175lbs, Utah Jazz
Karl Malone, PF, 6'9", 255lbs, Utah Jazz
Clyde Drexler, SG, 6'7", 220lbs, Portland Trail Blazers
Michael Jordan, SG, 6'6", 200lbs, Chicago Bulls
Scottie Pippen, SF, 6'7", 210lbs, Chicago Bulls
Larry Bird, SF, 6'9", 220lbs, Boston Celtics
Patrick Ewing, C, 7'0", 240lbs, New York Knicks
David Robinson, C, 7'1", 235lbs, San Antonio Spurs

*I'm discounting Christian Laettner because he was probably the team's water boy. (at the very least he brought Michael Jordan food and caddied for him on the golf course.)

Those are some damn impressive players, with the best of all time (Jordan) and all Hall of Famers.

2012: (20 years later)

Carmelo Anthony, F, 6'8", 230lbs, New York Knicks
Kobe Bryant, SG, 6'6", 205lbs, Los Angeles Lakers
Tyson Chandler, C, 7'1", 240lbs, New York Knicks
Kevin Durant, SF, 6'9", 235lbs, Oklahoma City Thunder
Anthony Davis, F, 6'10", 222lbs, New Orleans Hornets
James Harden, SG, 6'5", 220lbs, Oklahoma City Thunder
Andre Iguodala, G/F, 6'6", 207lbs, Philadelphia 76ers
LeBron James, F, 6'8", 250lbs, Miami Heat
Kevin Love, F, 6'10", 260lbs, Minnesota Timberwolves
Chris Paul, PG, 6'0", 183lbs, Los Angeles Clippers
Russell Westbrook, PG, 6'3", 187lbs, Oklahoma City Thunder
Deron Williams, PG, 6'3", 209lbs, Brooklyn Nets


Now Charles Barkley said that only Kobe, LeBron, and Durant would make the Dream Team.
Before getting to my main points, I think that it could be argued that Chris Paul or Deron Williams, or Derrick Rose pre-injury could have replaced John Stockton. 

That brings me to another point.  I think that if Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose, and Dwyane Wade were on the team, that this argument would be significantly swayed. 

Before I make any statements about who would have beaten who, I'm going to state that it is impossible to compare any player, league, or team to one from another era.  I also think that many of us, including the players on the Dream Team and the old-timers who were watching the Dream Team dominate are caught up in their nostalgic ways.  It's human nature to look back at what once was and say that it was much better, harder, more talented, etc.  I think that statements like those are bullshit.  The League has never been more popular, and I think that the talent distribution has increased enormously.  Athletes have gotten bigger, faster, stronger overall, which is just a natural progression.  This is why we keep seeing records broken such as Roger Federer, Wayne Gretsky, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and hopefully Tiger Woods.  When you add to the fact that the talent pool has increased tremendously due to international exposure to basketball, this makes it harder for the US team to win now becaused of better teams throughout the world.  This also means that the talent pool in the NBA is deeper overall because these foreign players are infiltrating our league.  So I would say, on average, that the NBA is more talented now then it was back then.

The Dream Team's average height was 6'8".  But if you factor Christian Laettner out (because he didn't sniff the court) their average size is 6'6".  The 2012 squad, which everyone will play on, has an average height of 6'6".  Hmmmmm. Seems to me that the so called "huge size advantage" of the Dream Team is not as significant as some would say.  As for Jordan and Barkley saying no way would the 2012 team compete, well that is just utter nonsense.  Of course they are going to say that, they want to go down as the best team of all time.  Especially Michael Jordan, who is maybe the most competitive person ever on this earth. 

A couple of key points to make.  The era of the Hulk down low is just gone.  Today's most dominant center, Dwight Howard, has numbers that don't even get close to traditional centers after their first 8 seasons.  The game of basketball today is dominated by lightning quick guards, combo players, and the 3 point shot. 

This is taken directly from ESPN and I take no credit for my blatant plagiarism:
"The 1992 team was about 2½ years older on average (28.8-26.2). Other than Bird and Magic, every Dream Team member was 30 years old or younger. Every member of the current team is 29 or younger, other than Kobe, who is 33.
But the NBA experience level is about the same. The 1992 team had, on average, 7.3 years of experience per player. This year’s team has 7.1"


 I think that with Isiah Thomas who got snubbed so hard its ridiculous, the Dream Team would have been so much better, if possible.  I also think that Kobe's statement was meant to inspire his own team for the 2012 Olympics. 

Since I am too lazy to paraphrase most of this stuff, here are some really interesting numbers. Pay attention to the first paragraph in general. ESPN Article

Basically, the first paragraph says that the dream team would win about half of the time by a margin of one point.  That is as close as it gets ladies and gents.  So the deciding factor for that would be the game winning shot, defined as a one possesion game, when a player's team trails by 3 or less points.  These stats are from the playoffs, and I think they represent what would occur, since there would be similar pressure to preform.  Michael Jordan's playoff game winning shot percentage is 9/18 or exactly 50% which is damn good.  Kobe's is 7/25 or 28%.  (LeBron's is 5/12 or 41.7%).  So obviously, the Dream Team has the advantage here.  Those facts are from May 2011, so there have been a couple more shots by Kobe and LeBron.  Also, Durant will doubtless be the best closer of our generation at some point, the kid cannot be guarded. 

So, without further ado, my pick as to who would win.
Drum Roll Please..................
THE DREAM TEAM*

I put an asterisk there for a reason.  I think that if you replaced the 2012 team with Bosh for Anthony Davis (this could go either way, I think Davis could have an immediate impact, its just that Bosh is already an established Pro, Rose for (this is a difficult decision here, but I'm gonna say Deron Williams), Dwyane Wade for James Harden, and Dwight Howard for Kevin Love, it would be a different story.  So in that sense, I would pick the 2012 team.  But since that is not the case and we are arguing purely on the selected roster for the 2012 olympics, I think the Dream team would win. (Hope you're satisfied Davis).

I made a few edits like replacing Blake Griffin with Anthony Davis because of injury.  It could even be argued that you could replace Tyson Chandler with Dwight Howard, then replace Kevin Love with Anthony Davis.  Let's just say that I think the 2016 team could handle the Dream Team.

South Carolina Football Preview: Offensive Line/Tight End

Offensive Line/Tight End

     These two positions are getting put together mainly because most people do not care about them or know much about them because they aren't nearly as glamorous as some of the others.  But don't let this lack of credit fool you: the big boys up front are just as important to a team winning as any position on the field.

Justice Cunningham


     The 6'4" senior from Pageland, SC is definitely not a new name for Gamecock football fans.  Cunningham has played in all 40 games over the last three seasons and has made 27 career receptions and even scored a touchdown.  But his receiving ability is not what makes Cunningham so special.  That would be his ability to block in the run game as well as his versatility, which will come in handy when the Cocks use him as a fullback in the fall (much like they used Pat Dimarco two years ago).

Rory Anderson


     Known as "Big Play Buster" last year, Anderson came on great as a freshman for the Gamecocks, having three of his eight catches go for scores.  Standing at 6'5", Anderson has the body to be a big time receiving and blocking threat from the TE position in the SEC (that is if he doesn't spend to much hanging out in Kyle and Drew's room).  I expect to see more big plays from Rory and I hope that the duo of Cunningham and Anderson become valuable assets to Connor Shaw in the passing game as well as to the backfield in the running game.

T.J. Johnson


     The veteran leader on an otherwise young offensive line, Johnson has been a key part to the success of the Cocks over the last three seasons.  Starting all 40 games of his career, Johnson was a third team All-SECer last season and looks to continue this year right where he left off.  Standing at 6'6" and weighing in at almost 320 pounds, T.J. uses his massive frame to clear holes for the vaunted rushing attack of the Gamecocks and to give Connor Shaw time to find receivers down the field.  Look for Johnson to help the young line get their stride and help USC to another great season.

Brandon Shell


     The lone freshman who is projected to start on the line, I'm looking for Shell to have a great season. Redshirted in his first year on campus, the highly touted (Parade All American, Shrine Bowl, Army All American Game, Four Star Recruit by Rivals, 4th best OT in the Country out of high school) tackle has a huge 6'6", 331 pound frame.  If Shell can remain uninjured and can prove mature enough to start in the SEC, I can see him becoming a dominate blocker for the USC offense this season.

     That's all for the hogmollies, next up the D-Line and everyone's favorite Rock Hill citizen (sorry Heath Myers, Rock Hill, hehehe), Jadeveon Clowney.

The First Cats To The Puzzle

On June 28th in Newark, New Jersey, the Charlotte Bobcats laid the foundation for the future in their second draft under GM Rich Cho. Although many people that cover the team will tell you that this was really Cho's first draft with the Bobcats, as SI's Chris Mannix stated, "This time it's the Rich Cho Show." Owner Michael Jordan and President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins  relied heavily on Cho's opinions this time around during the draft process and supported him with whomever he chose. On Thursday night, Cho selected Kentucky Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the 2nd overall pick and Vanderbilt Forward Jeffery Taylor with the 31st overall pick.

The past two drafts for the Bobcats carry a few interesting themes. During the past few drafts they drafted players from that seasons NCAA Champions (Kemba Walker and Kidd-Gilchrist), and also selected the youngest player in the draft pool (Bismack Biyombo and Kidd-Gilchrist). These 3 players combine to form the young face of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Now many sports pundits predicted the Bobcats to trade the 2nd overall pick or select Kansas Forward Thomas Robinson if they kept it. Now that they draft is over and people have spoken, we now know that the Bobcats were in love with Kidd-Gilchrist from the beginning and never actually got any really great trade offers from teams. I think these really speaks to Cho, Higgins, and the rest of the Bobcats front office. In a day and age where "Sources" leak out just about everything, the Bobcats were able to keep their love for Kidd-Gilchrist and their lack of trade offers close to the chest. The Bobcats leaked out lots of fake information, especially to the Charlotte media, about their intentions with that number two pick and even fooled the national media also. On the day of the draft, SI's Chris Mannix and  the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell(the Bobcats Beat Writer) appeared on WFNZ in Charlotte and both stated that they were absolutely certain the Bobcats would trade the pick or if they didn't, draft Robinson. Also in both of those interviews, Kidd-Gilchrist's name wasn't even mentioned one time. The Bobcats much-maligned front office should be applauded for that effort.

Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari does not shy away from his comments that Kidd-Gilchrist was the heart and soul of his NCAA Championship Kentucky team. Kidd-Gilchrist gained the reputation after his draft workouts that he was the hardest working player in this draft, and that's exactly what the Bobcats need. He may not be the star they seek but he will be quite the player. When the lights came on, Kidd-Gilchrist shined for his Wildcats. He's an athletic freak, that can guard positions 1-5 on the defensive end, and who's only weakness seems to be his lack of a jump shot. I am a big advocate of players being able to evolve their jump shots because of the many players that have come into the league without jumpers and left with a good to great one; As hard as Kidd-Gilchrist works, he'll be just fine in my opinion. 

Kidd-Gilchrist and 2nd round pick Jeffery Taylor bring similar things to the court for the Bobcats. They both have elite athleticism, can score in transition, and are versatile on the defensive end of the floor. New Bobcats Head Coach Mike Dunlap said he wants to attack teams both offensively and defensively and Kidd-Gilchrist and Taylor do exactly that. The Bobcats just added a whole lot of athleticism, transition scoring, defense, and above all, hard work to their roster.

When I evaluate players, I care as much about their talent on the floor as the kind of person they are inside. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been through a whole hell of a lot during his short lifetime and I think that's part of the reason why he's such a great kid. When he was 5 years old, his father was murdered, and his uncle, who had taken his father's place in a lot of ways, died from a heart attack at the age of 48 on the day when Kidd-Gilchrist signed his letter of intent to play for Kentucky. I have been through something similar, although not even as close as tragic. I will tell you that I'm sure Michael Kidd-Gilchrist does not want your sympathy or your pity, all he wants you to do is to Believe in him. I will and so should you.