Cam And Carolina Must Beware Of Eli And The Giants

To everyone's surprise this season the NFC has been dominated by Cam Newton's Carolina Panthers. In 2014 Carolina repeated as division champs in a putrid division with a sub .500 record. This offseason the seemingly shaky Panthers took a serious blow when their bona fide number one receiver Kelvin Benjamin went down for the year with an ACL injury. Carolina was supposed to take a step back this season, or at the very most, maintain their previous level of mediocrity. Fortunately for Panthers fans across the nation, through a once again consistently dominant defense, a hard nosed run game and a franchise quarterback finally realizing his MVP potential, Carolina is 11-0 and the unquestioned class of the NFC.

With the five games left on their remaining schedule it's pretty much a foregone that the Panthers will grab the top seed in their conference and the road to Santa Clara will go through Carolina. Other major contenders in the NFC like Arizona, Minnesota and Green Bay are all worthy challengers, but I'm not convinced that any of those teams have what it takes to beat the Panthers in Carolina. Carolina is a bit too rough and rugged for Arizona and Green Bay, as well as having another dimension to their offense in the big-play passing game that Minnesota simply doesn't have, but there is a boogeyman lurking in the darkness that cannot be disregarded as a potential spoiler to Carolina's dream season, the New York Football Giants.

A little over a month before the first playoff game of the 2015 season, New York is exactly where they want to be, fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot in a painfully mediocre NFC East. For the Giants, the playoffs won't begin on January 9th or January 10th, they begin this Sunday in a match-up with their cross-hall rival New York Jets and continue through the month in match-ups with NFC contenders Carolina and Arizona finally ending with a showdown in early January with division rival Washington which is bound to be interesting.

If the Giants can get into the dance, their opponent on wildcard weekend probably won't be anything to write home about. It's incredibly likely that New York will find itself playing at home against the 5 seed Green Bay Packers, a deeply flawed team in need of some real changes this off-season. Is it possible that Eli and the Giants could go into Arizona or Minnesota and Eli is able to make one more big play than his adversary at quarterback? Is it possible that Tom Coughlin's defense makes one more stop or one more big play than the guys on the other side? I would say that the answer to both questions is a resounding yes.

Thankfully, I won't have to speculate for long about what a potential Panthers-Giants game would look like because we're going to see it next week when New York has the chance to end another unbeaten streak as Cam and crew take a trip up to Metlife Stadium. Tom Coughlin's teams in the past have personified mental toughness, they are the embodiment of the principals of their two-time Super Bowl winning coach and they have a chance to prove that again on December 20th. I think that the Giants will be ready to match Carolina's physicality and I feel as though Eli Manning with the help of Odell Beckham Jr is capable of making a few more explosive plays than Cam and his group of receivers giving Carolina its first loss of the season setting up a potential rematch down the road.

Whatever happens with these two teams over the next couple of months is sure to be interesting, but only time will tell if this hunch I have is either sheer insanity, or wholly justified.

#Mizzou and Respectability Politics.

For many minority students who have attended the University of Missouri, the experience has been one in which racial tension and at times, even abuse have simply been a part of life on campus. In recent years it seems as though the racist behavior from certain students on the campus has grown more rampant and vociferous. A 2010 incident involving two white students placing cotton balls on the lawn outside of a campus black culture center and a much more recent incident involving someone smearing a swastika composed of human feces on a dorm wall paint a vivid picture of the climate at Mizzou.

After days of protests calling for the job of a slow to action and insensitive school president  involving an incredibly admirable and inspiring hunger strike from a 25 year old graduate student, the final domino fell. One of the university's largest revenue sources, the football team, decided to join the protests and stop all team activities with full support from coach Gary Pinkel until the school president resigned. They say money talks, but the possibility of heavy scrutiny and bad exposure were huge in the success of the protests when school president Tim Wolfe stepped down today.

A group of young students stood up in unison against a man who allowed a culture of racism to persist in a place that was supposedly a safe space devoted to being inclusive and open-minded. On top of that, this protest was totally peaceful, and yet, the "criticism" has poured in as heavy as ever. During the well-documented protests in Baltimore and Ferguson many people on both sides of the issue, black and white denounced the violence (whilst ignoring the peaceful protests in both instances) shouting that "peaceful protest" was the only way to go. During both events all we heard was that "MLK was peaceful, and that's why he was successful" and "No one will listen if you're not peaceful" among other things. Everything we've heard over the past couple of spring and summer seasons indicate that in order to be acceptable and respected by certain segments of our populous we must be peaceful in voicing our frustrations.

Well here we are, the students at Mizzou protested as peacefully as possible, yet the criticism is just as harsh as ever. From people demanding that the football players who protested have their scholarships revoked to folks calling protesters "entitled", "terrorists", "vile", and "immoral", the incoming hate is just as flagrant as it was during Baltimore and Ferguson and that shows us why this is such an important moment. The critics who begged for peaceful protest were never actually concerned with peaceful protests, their objective was to silence those who dare to challenge the status quo, their objective was to silence those of us who challenge them and force them into uncomfortable situations. These silencing tactics from the opponents of those who oppose racism are about sustaining the reality of white supremacy and in exposing this, we take a step forward.

When we can easily cut through the bullshit talking points and tired antiquities of those who oppose progress we really have a chance to move forward. When the attempts to silence are seen for what they are, people opposing progress have no ground to stand on. At the end of the day, logic must win out, and the students at Mizzou have logic on their side while their opponents have ignorance and their biases that are protected by the little bubble they all live in. The "respectability" fallacy has once again been exposed for what it always has been and more than anything, that's what I most take away from this moment in history. It isn't the only important angle to this story, but it sure is one worth noting.

Deal With It, The Warriors Are The Class of The NBA.

Over the course of this past off-season the established Western Conference powers got stronger and the up and coming teams had more time to mature. The undying Spurs dynasty got a boost when they landed the crowned jewel of this year's free-agency class in Lamarcus Alrdridge, while in Houston the Rockets added perennial fringe All-Star Ty Lawson in a trade with Denver to help bolster their already impressive roster. In Oklahoma the Thunder improved their coaching situation and oh yea, Kevin Durant is back! I guess that helps right? Turning our eyes to the golden coast, we find a Clippers squad with added depth and more desire than ever to capture their first championship. The West once again is a murders row of elite teams and very good teams such as Memphis and New Orleans, and they've gotten even better.

With all of that said there's a team over in the bay area who looks down on all of this in-conference movement and the only response they can muster is a disinterested "meh". I suppose they feel that way because they're coming off of one of the most dominant championship runs in NBA history. Maybe it's because they have the reigning NBA MVP who also happens to be the greatest shooter the world has ever seen. Oh! Oh! I got it! It has to be because they arguably have the league's best defensive player! No? Is it because their second best player is capable of scoring 37 points in a quarter? I mean, if it's not because they have the league's deepest team and their 6th man was last year's Finals' MVP, then I can't tell you why they don't care about what the rest of the west did this summer.

To start this season Steph Curry and crew have registered back to back blowout wins over two projected western conference contenders in New Orleans and Houston. Golden State currently has the look of a team at it's absolute apex, they're a well-oiled machine who manage to simply eviscerate the competition, no matter who is in front of them. We're in the midst of watching a team who has the potential to go on a dynastic run over the next 7 or 8 years and when you look around the league, it doesn't seem as though anyone is readily equipped to ruin those plans at the moment. They won 67 games last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if they went out and approved upon that.

This isn't a team that "got lucky" or "won on a fluke". The Warriors punched the league in the mouth and no one was able to respond, it's as simple as that, they were much better than everyone else and the proof is in the pudding, or maybe the rings. Jerry West and Steve Kerr have built a monster in the bay, and if we know anything about what happens when you build monsters in the NBA, the only thing that can stop that monster is itself.

The NCAA Has Exposed Itself Again.

LSU's star running back Leonard Fournette declared that he would auction off his Jersey to aid victims of the recent devastating floods in South Carolina after his team's win over South Carolina today. Fournette's act of kindness is one he should be commended for, but it also forces us to have a discussion that is as polarizing as it is important.

Players have had their eligibility revoked, programs have been sanctioned and heads have rolled over "student-athlete's"  being fiancically compensated for their fame/popularity, so why is it any different now? Instead of holding an auction to help flood victims, what if he sold his jersey to help his mother keep her lights on, or put some food in the house? Would the NCAA let that fly since it would be the noble thing to do? Of course they wouldn't, there would be a full fledged investigation, Fournette's eligibility would be in jeopardy and LSU would likely face sanctions.

The NCAA has once again sent the message that their "student-athlete's" are amateurs, incapable of being compensated for their work and or popularity, unless it greatly benefit's the NCAA itself, then they have no problem with bending the rules a bit. The NCAA was originally consistent telling Fournette that they wouldn't allow him to auction his jersey, then in an effort to quickly save face and prevent loads of backlash, they put out a statement saying they would indeed allow the auction.

For the people who defend the NCAA's policy of not allowing players to be compensated for their status and memorabilia among other things because they are "amateurs" and "students first", how do you reconcile that frame of thought with the fact that the NCAA constantly bends that very law for their own benefit? How is possible to defend an institution's supposed "core principles" as if it were inspired by the creator himself, while that same institution spits in the face of those principles whenever it's convenient? The NCAA's defenders are being played for fools and have been for a long time, the jig is up guys, it's' time to get real and figure out as a society, where do we go from here?

The media and honestly America itself needs to step up and stop being puppet's in the NCAA's game, the NCAA has got away with too much for too long and now's the time to hold their feet to the fire and force them to change. In a country filled with injustice, the NCAA has become a microcosm of those problems and we must fight everyday to cure our American institutions of the hypocrisy, unfairness and corruption that plague them. If a young man is allowed to sell his jersey to help needy strangers and in turn, the NCAA, then why can't he sell a jersey or his signature to help his family back home put food on the table or maybe even keep a roof above their heads? This is the dilemma the NCAA has created for itself, and if now isn't the time to challenge them on this and force them to change, then there never will be a time.

The Knicks and The Lakers: How will they turn it around?

Both teams have great assets that they must capitalize on

Three days ago the putrid (13-51) New York Knicks and the equally vomit inducing (17-47) Los Angeles Lakers squared off in a game in which the only standings that were being effected were the ones that are for the right to claim the most ping-pong balls in the draft lottery. If you look at the records of both of these teams, they're both on pace to have franchise worse seasons which would indicate historical low-points.

And while that is true to an extent, both of these franchises have tons of reasons to be optimistic about the near future. Cap space in 2015 and 2016, incoming draft picks, and an expected 22 million dollar jump in the NBA salary cap in 2016-2017 all bode well for both franchises. So let's look at each team's situation and break down how each team can get back to contending in a hurry.


The Lakers: When the sun set on the 2011-2012 NBA season Los Angeles seemed to be stuck in neutral, after three straight NBA finals appearances and back-to-back championships L.A. suffered two straight embarrassing second round defeats and you could sense in the air that after the throttling at the hands of the OKC Thunder that things need to change. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak provided his team with the boost they needed when he turned some draft picks into Steve Nash and some more draft picks and all-star center Andrew Bynum into superstar center Dwight Howard. The consensus going into the 2012-2013 season was that the NBA's galactic empire had successfully repaired the Death Star and was ready to re-claim it's rightful place on the NBA throne. A zillion injuries later coupled with the immediate departure of Dwight Howard, and the Lakers were left with a recovering Kobe Bryant and a roster in shambles.

Last season L.A. did a great job of capitalizing off of it's on court failures by drafting Julius Randle out of Kentucky with the 7th overall pick and coming up with the steal of the draft by nabbing Missouri point guard Jordan Clarkson with the 46th pick. Clarkson has been a revelation for LA this season and even though L.A. lost Randle to injury early on this season, it shouldn't effect his career or his potential to develop into a very good player for a very long time. The Lakers were also able to land Houston's first round draft pick in an off-season trade in which they also took on Jeremy Lin's big contract. In the upcoming draft L.A. could have up to 4 draft picks with one being a projected top five selection.

Also, the Lakers could possibly enter free agency with around 25-28 million dollars in cap space. That would give them room to sign one max contract and another smaller, but still lucrative contract. This off-season should be key in restoring the "Laker Way", they could set themselves up to contend for a playoff spot next year and contend for championships for years down the road. Here's a realistic look at what L.A. could actually accomplish this summer:

PG:Emmanuel Mudiay, SG: Kobe SF: Khris Middleton, PF: Julius Randle C:Deandre Jordan.

Selecting Mudiay with the 4th pick and offering Jordan the full max are within the realm of possibility for L.A. and Khris Middleton could be a target when using whatever is leftover from the Jordan deal. The Lakers would get young, talented and athletic very quickly and as long as Kobe Bryant stays healthy they would be very dangerous as well.

The Knicks: Let's take it back to the trade deadline of the 2010-2011 season, The Knicks have just paired Carmelo Anthony with Amar'e Stoudumire and basketball is back in New York, kind of. After two early playoff disappointments in a row and a string of nagging injuries to Stoudumire, New York was finally able to put it together in 2013 going 54-28 as well as reaching the second round of the playoffs before falling to the upstart Indiana Pacers. The Knicks looked to be on an upward curve and seemed to be poised for huge things last year, but instead the hopes and dreams of Knicks fans disintegrated before their very eyes as they watched their team inexplicably dive head-first back into the pits of mediocrity. New York decided to clean house this past off-season by bringing in Phil Jackson to be the new general manager and Derek Fisher to fill the role of head coach. Jackson promptly broke up the old core by moving Tyson Chandler in the off-season as well as buying out Amar'e and trading fan favorites Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to Cleveland.

In New York there's been a complete overhaul of the old model which has been closely followed by a good old fashioned tank. Everything about the city of New York is the biggest and the best and it's only right that the Knicks have been the biggest losers and the best tankers since they're projected to land the number one pick in the summers draft. To New York's credit, with all of their wheeling and dealing this season they have created ample cap space with a projected 24.4 million to play with. The Knicks can land the top pick and add a max free-agent along with another smaller scale player. This off-season is vital for New York because they need to put a team around Carmelo Anthony that can contend in the Eastern Conference soon, there aren't many more years of prime Carmelo Anthony left so the Knicks need to get on it before their moment passes them by. Here's what they could cook up this summer:

PG: Jose Calderon, SG: Danny Green, SF: Carmelo Anthony, PF: Greg Monroe C: Karl Towns.

If the Knicks have the top pick Towns is easily the best fit for their system. I see no reason why New York shouldn't throw a max or near max contract at Monroe, he's only 24 and will only get better as time goes on. Danny Green and Calderon will help space the floor for the front court players and all of the players in the starting lineup should fit nicely into Fisher's/Jackson's triangle offense. This team could easily compete for a top 6 seed in the East immediately.

So there you have it, The Lakers and Knicks are more than capable of turning things around in the blink of an eye, but only time will tell if these franchises can pull off the necessary moves to get back in contention sooner rather than later.

Westbrook, Harden, and Curry: Who'd you rather start your franchise with?

This NBA season has been one of the more exciting installments of "The Association" to date. The upstart Atlanta Hawks have taken the NBA by storm, the splash brothers have put fourth a strong claim for "Best NBA Duo", James Harden is gunning for Lebron's "King James" moniker and Russell Westbrook is apparently the terminator.

Out of all of the story lines that this NBA season has brought us this is the one that I find the most intriguing, we can now make a case that Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Stephen Curry are the 3 best players in the league. Each of these guys are having remarkable seasons and each of them are the biggest reason why their teams are on track to be big threats in the West this spring.

Now with all of that said, you cannot go wrong with any of these guys, but if you had to select one player out of these three to start your franchise with, who would it be?

• James Harden
• Age: 25
• Star Powers: Beard growing, Innate ability to irritate even the most stoic of men, Pudgy frame
• Stats: 27.1 PPG, 6.9 APG, 5.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG 7 Flops Per Game.
• The Skinny: James Harden has come a long way since being the third wheel in OKC behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Since that eventful pre-season trade almost three years ago James Harden has thrived as the main act in Houston earning an All-Star nod each of his three seasons in Clutch City. This year Harden soul has taken a step forward and has propelled the Rockets to the third seed in the loaded Western Conference in spite of his side-kick/boy wonder Dwight Howard missing 26 games this season. Harden is leading the NBA in 40 point games this season and is the leader in overall points per game, but don't fret! his skills and efficiency as a distributor are as sharp as they've ever been. Harden has moonlighted as an elite 6th man before and has been a perennial All-Star, but it now looks as through his long-term occupation will be that of an "All-World Superstar"

• Stephen Curry
• Age: 26
• Star Powers: Inability to age, Boyish Charm, Perceived trustworthiness due to boyish charm
• Stats: 23.9 PPG, 7.8 APG, 4.5 RPG, 2.1 SPG  10 Goofy Camera-Men Mesmerized By His Beautiful Mother Per Game (Playoffs Only)
• The Skinny: Stephen Curry started his career with a ton of promise while also suffering from nagging ankle injuries for his first few years in the Association. Finally over the past 2 and a half seasons Chef Curry has been able to stay healthy and it has really showed in his game. Over the past three seasons Steph has finally began to materialize into the player the Warriors envisioned he could be when they selected him with the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Curry has had his share of big stage moments over the past three seasons and has delivered each time, Whether it be putting the league on notice with an upset of the 3 seed Denver Nuggets in 2013, putting the fear of God into the rival 3 seed Chris Paul led L.A. Clippers in 2014, or having his own Madison Square Garden moment dropping 54 on the Knicks, Steph has shown that he doesn't shy away from the big moment. Chef Curry along with his splash brother "Killa Klay" have the Warriors sitting comfortably in the number 1 seed of the Western Conference, they're finally knocking on the door of the NBA finals and they won't be going away anytime soon. Not to mention Stephen Curry could very well be the greatest shooter that the NBA has ever seen, sorry Ray and Reggie.

• Russell Westbrook
• Age: 26
• Star Powers: Anger, Rage, Intensity, Wrath, Pique, Adamantium skeleton, Extreme durability, Love for tight & colorful outfits, Probably the inspiration for Marvel superhero Wolverine.
• Stats: 26.5 PPG, 8.1 APG, 6.8 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 31.0 Eye Rolls Per Kevin Durant MVP Speech.
• The Skinny: It's always been a debate in basketball circles as to who is the best player on the Oklahoma City Thunder and these arguments have usually ended with a good portion of people agreeing that Kevin Durant his the best player on the team. In Kevin Durant's absence due to nagging injuries to his surgically repaired foot, Russell Westbrook has taken the general conclusion that Durant is the better player and he's ripped it to shreds in true Angry-Russ fashion. Westbrook's most recent stretch includes 3 straight triple-doubles and February averages 31-9-10, the last guy to accomplish such a feat was NBA legend Oscar Robertson. We've known that Russ is undoubtedly a superstar for a while now, but this season he's taken his game to an even higher level while keeping the OKC Thunder afloat in the west while experiencing bumps and bruises of his own like the facial fracture he received last Friday night vs Portland. Russell Westbrook is having a landmark season not only for himself, but it's a landmark season in NBA history, and I'm not too sure that it's something we shouldn't begin to expect annually.

The Bearded One, Chef Curry or Angry-Russ, Who ya got?