Mavs fall to 0-5, but there is still hope

    The Dallas Mavericks fell to 0-5 tonight and now have the distinction as the only winless team remaining in the NBA this preseason. Anytime there is a 0 in the win column with five games played, it causes fans to panic. Since most fans will be able to do that by just looking at the record, I decided to carve out a few reasons for optimism for the 2015-2016 Mavs.

1) It starts up top: That’s right, it starts at the top of the team, which is where Rick Carlisle sits. Carlisle is widely regarded as an elite coach in todays NBA. Trust in Carlisle.

2) Who’s played? Nobody. Well, nobody except Dirk that is. The projected starting 5 of Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki, and JaVale McGee all reside in the trainer’s room recovering from injuries, with the exception of Dirk of course. They should all make their return to the court at some point in 2015, which will give the Mavs more than half of the season with their top guys. But until then…

3) New faces look pretty good: That’s right, plenty of new players gaining experience. Though he doesn’t look quite like a superstar, rookie Justin Anderson has flashed his athleticism and showed why the Mavs drafted him in the first round. Also, John Jenkins is having one helluva preseason.

4) Dallas sports history: Last season, the Cowboys lost Sean Lee in training camp. The previous year, the defense was horrible and with the loss of Lee, everybody predicted the streak of 8-8 years would end and the Cowboys would be worse than .500. Turns out, they flourished and made a playoff run.

Earlier this year, the Texas Rangers lost their ace in Yu Darvish and everybody wrote them off, even through midseason. But they shocked everybody and took the Toronto Blue Jays to the brink in the first round of the playoffs.

Is it the Mavericks’ turn, after missing out on DeAndre Jordan and having injured players to turn in a good season for DFW as everybody writes them off? The Rangers and Cowboys say, yes, anything is possible.

It's Just a Game

You can read this and/or listen to the audio which is attached at the end of the piece. 

    There have been many instances recently where I've wanted to write this post, but last night just pushed my limit. It pissed me off.

Michigan's punter Blake O'Neill botched a punt with 10 seconds remaining in a game against Michigan State. The Wolverines were up 23-21 on the Spartans, with a punt all but sealing a win. But it wasn't gonna go down like that.

After the botched punt, Michigan State picks up the loose ball and scores the touchdown with no time remaining for a walk off touchdown.

This post however, is not about the crazy game on the field. It's about the craziness that ensued off of it, which was far more egregious than the play itself.

There have been articles upon articles written since then, not about the crazy ending to a great rivalry game, but about the social media abuse sent O'Neill's way because of that play. In that kind of a game, with that ending, I can understand how emotions must be going wild for fans from not just fans of those two fan bases, but every sports fan. I understand expressing frustrations on social media or even being disgusted by the inability of the punter to make a fairly routine play. What I don't understand is sending death threats the way of a 22-year-old athlete who is already most likely at an all-time low.

I'm definitely not one to sit on a high horse and talk about how everything should be clean-cut in sports. I love controversy, trash-talk, criticism, etc. It's what makes sports great and a talking point in gatherings. However, there are boundaries.

In O'Neill's case, one twitter user told him to "head to the equipment room and start chugging that bleach my friend." I literally cringed when I read that. For fans to think they care more about winning a football game than a senior on that team, playing in this rivalry game for his last time is ridiculous. This guy went through an entire week of practice, preparing for this game and he made a blunder in a crucial moment. Not only does he have to deal with self-disappointment, but also facing his teammates and students on campus and more. The last thing he needs is for some stranger, who probably wasn't good enough to sniff the playing field of a D-1 school, to advise him to kill himself. Yes, of course people will say it's just an expression and he didn't mean it literally. Well my rebuttal to that: It's not a joking matter.

When a guy is as low as that punter probably is, depending on his emotional capacity, those words have the potential to hit home. And that is a scary thought.

I like to believe that I'm a competitor to the craziest of levels. But at the end of the day, any kind of competitor or the most die-hard fan has to realize, IT IS JUST A GAME. IT'S NEVER EVER THAT SERIOUS!!

And this happens way too much, and I'll just refer to the last couple of weeks to show some other examples.

Just one week ago, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden struggled against the New England Patriots which prompted a series of twitter users advising him to kill himself. Don't believe me? Just search his name and look through his mentions. It's disgusting. I'm one of the people that think Weeden should be benched and I can criticize his play all day long and it may not even come out in the nicest ways. But I know I'll keep it on the field and not make it personal.

The guy that's replacing Weeden for the Cowboys is Matt Cassel and he held court in the locker room this past week. A reporter asked him what his first thought was when he heard he had been traded from the Buffalo Bills to the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks earlier. His response was not that he gets a chance to start for his childhood team, America's team. His response was the concern for his wife who was 36 weeks pregnant. My point by this is that these athlete's are human. There are things that matter more than just the game.

And don't think this just happens to players who aren't superstars.

On September 29th, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls suffered an injury to his face. While most people did express their concern for him and hope for a quick recovery, there were a few people that recommended that he just end his life. Same thing happened for Texas Ranger Elvis Andrus after he choked this past week against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5 of the ALDS.

The sad part is that people that say these things are smart enough to make a twitter account, type up these messages, and press send. They fail to realize that  at the end of the day, it really is just a game. When people make these comments, in my opinion, it's valuing a game over a human being's life.

Think about that.

Sad thing is that I've seen this happen at the high school and college level while these athletes are literally just kids, and it goes all the way to the pro level. And it's never justified.

If you're one of these people, I hope this convinced you to watch what you tweet and think twice before pressing send. If you're not, I really hope you share this message to help raise awareness for an issue that I take very, very seriously.

Links to articles about O'Neill's social media abuse:
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/10/michigan_punter_blake_oneill_r.html
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2015/10/17/michigan-blake-oneill-social-media/74154188/

Attached four minutes of me speaking about this issue, please feel free to give it a listen and share.

2015 NFL Predictions

Opening Night- Patriots over Steelers 31-24

AFC Playoff picture:

AFC South Champion- Indianapolis Colts (1^st seed)

AFC East Champion- New England Patriots (2^nd seed)

AFC West Champion- Denver Broncos  (3^rd seed)

AFC North Champion- Pittsburgh Steelers  (4^th seed)

Wild Card #1: Baltimore Ravens

Wild Card #2: Buffalo Bills

NFC Playoff picture:

NFC West Champion- Seattle Seahawks  (1^st seed)

NFC East Champion- Dallas Cowboys (2^nd seed)

NFC North Champion- Green Bay Packers  (3^rd seed)

NFC South Champion- Atlanta Falcons (4^th seed)

Wild Card #1: Arizona Cardinals

Wild Card #2: New Orleans Saints

AFC Championship Game: Colts over Patriots

NFC Championship Game: Cowboys over Seahawks

Super Bowl: Colts over Cowboys

Season MVP: Tom Brady, Patriots

Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson, Vikings

Defensive Player of the Year: J.J. Watt, Texans

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Nelson Agholor, Eagles

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Vic Beasley, Falcons

Comeback Player of the Year: Eric Berry, Chiefs

Coach of the Year: Mike McCarthy, Packers

2011 Dallas Mavericks vs. 2015 Golden State Warriors

     As the Golden State Warriors finished off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win the NBA Finals, it was the first NBA title for the team since 1975. But for some reason, to me, it felt all too familiar, like it had happened more recently. 

That’s because their story has many similarities to another team that won the championship. A team that won in 2011. The Dallas Mavericks.

Of course, no two teams are ever the same, even year to year within the same franchise. The 2011 Mavericks and 2015 Warriors have a lot of unique qualities, but there are a ton of mind-blowing similarities as well. And it starts from the top.

The 2011 Mavericks were led by head coach Rick Carlisle, a guy who was in a broadcasting chair with ESPN right before he joined the team.

Similarly, the 2015 Warriors are led by Steve Kerr, a guy who was a broadcaster with TNT prior to joining the team.

Rick Carlisle won the NBA championship (once) as a player and 2011 was his first Finals win as a head coach.
Steve Kerr won the NBA championship (five times) as a player and 2015 was his first Finals win as a head coach.

Even the situations the two men inherited were shockingly similar. Neither head coach was required to build the team from scratch.

The season prior to Carlisle joining the team, the 2007-2008 Mavericks had gone 51-31 under the leadership of Avery Johnson and made the playoffs. However, they had an early exit in the first round, which led to Johnson being fired.

Just last season, under the leadership of Mark Jackson, the Warriors went… yes, exactly the same record as the Johnson-led Mavs, 51-31, and also had a first round playoff exit.

Now let’s get to the playoffs. In 2011, the Mavs went 16-5 in the playoffs. In the four playoff series, they had one sweep (2^nd round), one 4-1 series win (Conference Finals), and two 4-2 series wins (1^st round and NBA Finals).

Fast forward to 2015. The Warriors had an identical 16-5 record through the playoffs. They also had one sweep (1^st round), one 4-1 series win (Conference Finals), and two 4-2 series wins (2^nd round and NBA Finals).

In the NBA Finals, both teams faced the self-proclaimed and widely regarded “best player on the planet” in LeBron James.

In 2011, the Mavs were down 2-1 to LeBron and the Miami Heat.

In 2015, the Warriors were down 2-1 to LeBron and the Cavs.

After the Mavs fell behind 2-1, Carlisle made a change in the starting lineup by inserting JJ Barea. The Mavs then went on to rattle off three straight wins and win the championship in six games.

After the Warriors fell behind 2-1, Kerr made a change in the starting lineup by inserting Andre Iguodala. The Warriors won three straight, capturing the championship in six games.

In 2011, the Mavs won the closeout game on the road in Miami and scored 105 points.

In 2015, the Warriors won the closeout game on the road in Cleveland and scored 105 points.

Lastly, for what it’s worth, both the 2011 Mavs and 2015 Warriors were led by a superstar that was extremely likeable by the average sports fan in Dirk Nowitzki and Steph Curry.

Despite the many similarities, there were plenty of big differences as well. The Miami Heat team in 2011 was stacked with superstars in LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Cavs in 2015 were depleted, playing without the services of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Anderson Varejao. LeBron in 2011 had arguably his worst NBA Finals in 2011 of his six attempts. In 2015, he had arguably his best, evident by the fact he garnered more series MVP votes than Steph Curry and, well, you could just peek at his ridiculous stats.

Anyways, comparisons like this won between the 2011 Dallas Mavericks and the 2015 Golden State Warriors always make for a good sports conversation. And looking back, there really were a lot of similarities.

The most important similarity for both of those teams: They finished on top of the NBA world.

End of the Brady Era?

     In the wake of the punishment handed down by the NFL to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots regarding DeflateGate, many Patriots fans, and NFL fans in general are left wondering what the Patriots future will look like.

The punishment is a four-game suspension for quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots losing their 1^st round pick in 2016 and losing their 4^th round pick in 2017. In addition, the team has been fined one million dollars, the largest fine ever given to a team in NFL history.

The most significant part of the punishment is Tom Brady’s four-game suspension. Brady’s side have made it clear they plan to appeal, but right now, it stands as a four-game suspension with Tom Brady returning to action against none other than the Indianapolis Colts…. If he’s with the Patriots.

Following the suspension, I threw out the idea of the Patriots trading Tom Brady. Reactions from people varied from “Oh Lord”, “Ok Skip Bayless”, “Wtf”, “Are you high?” and more.

At this point right now, I want you to pause and clear your mind. Read the rest of this with a completely open mind, not shaking your head with your mind already made up.

Okay, now let me explain.

Let’s just start with Brady’s age. At the start of the preseason, Brady will be 38 years old. Is he playing like a 38 year-old quarterback? No, he’s playing as if he is in his prime. But let’s not forget, father time is undefeated. Sometimes it’s not a steady decline for a player. Sometimes, their production just falls off a cliff. See Peyton Manning last year. He was great a couple years ago, the league MVP. He started the season playing great. And then all of a sudden, he looked very ordinary. Now, to be fair, there was an injury that had a role. But that’s my point. In a violent sport like football, injuries are part of the game. At 38 years old, it takes longer and it’s harder to recover from those injuries.

Let’s move on to what a future without Brady would be like on the field, which the Patriots will have to experience even if they do keep him because of the suspension. They invested a 2^nd round pick in a quarterback from Eastern Illinois last year: Jimmy Garoppolo. When you take a quarterback that high and have an aging quarterback, it’s a clear indication that you plan for him to be your future. He will be the man at some point, and at least for a few games to begin this season.

That leads to the third point: the business aspect. Tom Brady has taken less money with the Patriots than he’s worth. That is well documented. What he has also done in recent years (multiple times), is adjust his contract. That means he clears cap space at the time and there will be a bigger cap hit at the back end of his contract. Well, if the Patriots trade him now, they can avoid that. Brady has a cap hit of 14 million in 2015, 15 million in 2016, and 16 million in 2017 before he becomes a free agent. If he was traded and the Patriots rode Jimmy Garoppolo, the cap hit for Garoppolo is 633,436 dollars for 2015, 791,795 dollars for 2016, and 950,154 for 2017. They would literally save 14-16 million PER YEAR with Garoppolo under center versus Brady. And like I said above, they do plan on Garoppolo being the guy of the future anyways, so why not now? With the new CBA, teams can take advantage of quarterbacks in their first contract because they have to play for cheap so you can build a great team, defense and offense, around him. For a model, just look at the Seattle Seahawks and what they have done with Russell Wilson so far.

Next, is it realistic? Of course it is. Everybody’s initial reaction is “oh my God, not Tom Brady, he’s one of the best ever.” That’s correct and I’m not refuting that. But remember, the 49ers traded away Joe Montana while he could still play and went with Steve Young. While Steve Young turned out to be a Hall of Famer, at the time Young had an extremely underwhelming stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had just shown some flashes with the 49ers. Montana led his new team, the Kansas City Chiefs, to the AFC Championship game the next year, showing he still had some in the tank. But in the long run, it was the right decision.

Brett Favre was allowed to walk by the Green Bay Packers and they entrusted the franchise to a young quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who had barely played. Favre led the Viking to an NFC Championship game a few years later, but in the long run, nobody will question that decision.

Peyton Manning, getting up in age and coming off of major neck surgery, was allowed to walk by the Colts in favor of a rookie in Andrew Luck. Now granted, Luck had promise but so did Ryan Leaf in 1998 but the Colts went with that decision and it’s proven to be a success for them in the long term. In the short term, Manning still had plenty left in the tank. He broke single-season records, won MVP, and took his team to the Super Bowl. But in the long run, it was a great decision.

Lastly, Bill Belichick. He has a reputation for letting go of guys a little early rather than too late and often getting stuff back for them. Remember when Brady took over in 2001? He was a decent quarterback, but Drew Bledsoe was a proven franchise player that had just signed a contract worth over 100 million dollars. Belichick rode with Brady, the cheaper option. Remember cutting veteran safety Lawyer Milloy days before the 2003 season? Remember when Deion Branch was a Super Bowl MVP and wanted money? Belichick let him take his talents to Seattle. Remember shipping Richard Seymour to Oakland while he was still in his prime? Remember letting go of Tom Brady’s best friend Wes Welker while he was still producing 100 catches per year? Remember just last season trading away anchor Guard Logan Mankins?

Belichick has done this all the time. Doing it with Brady could land him multiple 1^st round picks and more, save him cap space and give him a chance to prove his coaching isn’t just a product of Tom Brady’s greatness.

I’m simply saying a trade isn’t as ludicrous as it sounds and it could be beneficial to both parties. Say a team like the St. Louis Rams trade for him. The Rams would be instant contenders with that defense and the Patriots would benefit in the ways explained above.

If Robert Kraft can get over his personal feelings of affection for Tom Brady (he has called him his "son") and pull the trigger on a trade, it could be beneficial in the long run. 

Belichick always preaches he wants to do what's "in the best interest of the team." 

Okay Bill, time to prove it.