MLB All-Star Week: All-Star Game Preview

Tonight's MLB All-Star game is being played at 8pm on FOX as the visiting American League takes on the National League at Citi Field in Flushing, NY, home of the New York Mets.

This game determines which league will have home-field advantage in this year's World Series. This game will mark the 11th year that the All-Star Game decides this and through 10 years the league that went on to win the All-Star Game is 7-3 in the World Series.

In my opinion the American League has the better hitters and the National League has the better pitchers. While I believe the NL has a better pitching staff, for this type of game I think the AL has a better chance at winning because of who they can turn to late in the game. When it comes down to it, no one in the NL wants to see #42 come in to pitch in the ninth inning. No one.

For this reason I am predicting that the AL will come out on top. My guess is that the AL will win this game 6-4 with Manny Machado winning the game's MVP. I know going with Machado is pretty random, but he will likely hit a late-inning double that will drive in a couple runs that give the AL either the lead or push them out far enough to end this game. Just seems like whichever player comes off the bench late and makes an impact is most likely to win the game's MVP.

The NL won this game last year and the two years before, while the AL won seven straight after the 2002 fiasco that ended in a tie. That tie is why the game now "matters" as Major League Baseball wanted to make this game worthwhile for the fans and make this game actually worth something.

While I like the idea of the MLB making the All-Star game determine home-field advantage, I just think one game isn't enough to decide it. The MLB season is 162 games long and they allow one game in the middle of the season to determine which league's team will have home-field advantage.

I would like to see the game actually turned into a three-game series with a slightly larger roster. The MLB could extend the All-Star week into an actual week which would help players be fresher for the second have of the season. The series would probably become something bigger than the game already is and would allow both teams to have more players on their rosters. It would also give pitchers more innings to work with and allow hitters to play more than just three innings. With players only playing as little as they are in this game, it just isn't a real game to me. (Trust me if there was something else going on with sports today I would write about it. This is the most miserable four days for any sports fan of the year.)

As for tonight's game both lineups are listed below as well as my comments on five players from each league that should have made the All-Star game as well as five that shouldn't have.

American League:
Starting Lineup:
1) LF Mike Trout (Angels) - .322 BA, 15 HR, 59 RBI
2) 2B Robinson Cano (Yankees) - .302 BA, 21 HR, 65 RBI
3) 3B Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) - .365 BA, 30 HR, 95 RBI
4) 1B Chris Davis (Orioles) - .315 BA, 37 HR, 93 RBI
5) RF Jose Bautista (Blue Jays) - .254 BA, 20 HR, 55 RBI
6) DH David Ortiz (Red Sox) - .317 BA, 19 HR, 65 RBI
7) CF Adam Jones (Orioles) - .296 BA, 19 HR, 67 RBI
8) C Joe Mauer (Twins) - .320 BA, 8 HR, 32 RBI
9) SS J.J. Hardy (Orioles) - .251 BA, 16 HR, 52 RBI
0) SP Max Scherzer (Tigers) - 13-1, 152 K, 3.19 ERA

Reserves:
C Jason Castro (Astros) - .269 BA, 12 HR, 31 RBI
C Salvador Perez (Royals) - .284 BA, 4 HR, 38 RBI
1B Prince Fielder (Tigers) - .267 BA, 16 HR, 69 RBI
2B Jason Kipnis (Indians) - .301 BA, 13 HR, 57 RBI
2B Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox) - .316 BA, 6 HR, 56 RBI
2B Ben Zobrist (Rays) - .260 BA, 6 HR, 48 RBI
3B Manny Machado (Orioles) - .310, 7 HR, 45 RBI
SS Jhonny Peralta (Tigers) - .303, 8 HR, 46 RBI
OF Nelson Cruz (Rangers) - .277, 22 HR, 69 RBI
OF Alex Gordon (Royals) - .283, 9 HR, 49 RBI
OF Torii Hunter (Tigers) - .315, 7 HR, 44 RBI
DH Edwin Encarnacion (Blue Jays) - .264, 25 HR, 72 RBI

Pitching Staff:
SP Felix Hernandez (Mariners) - 10-4, 140 K, 2.53 ERA
SP Justin Masterson (Indians) - 10-7, 137 K, 3.72 ERA
SP Chris Sale (White Sox) - 6-8, 131 K, 2.85 ERA
SP Matt Moore (Rays) - 13-3, 108 K, 3.44 ERA - Replaces SP Yu Darvish (Rangers) - 8-4, 157 K, 3.02 ERA
SP Chris Tillman (Orioles) - 11-3, 89 K, 3.95 ERA - Replaces SP Justin Verlander (Tigers) - 10-6, 125 K, 3.50 ERA
RP Mariano Rivera (Yankees) - 30 SV, 32 K, 1.83 ERA
RP Joe Nathan (Rangers) - 30 SV, 42 K, 1.36 ERA
RP Steve Delabar (Blue Jays) - 5 HD, 58 K, 1.71 ERA
RP Brett Cecil (Blue Jays) - 5 HD, 55 K, 1.94 ERA
RP Glen Perkins (Twins) - 21 SV, 47 K, 1.82 ERA - Replaces SP Clay Buchholz (Red Sox) - 9-0, 81 K, 1.71 ERA
RP Greg Holland (Royals) - 22 SV, 60 K, 1.80 ERA - Replaces SP Hisashi Iwakuma (Mariners) - 8-4, 113 K, 3.02 ERA
RP Grant Balfour (Athletics) - 25 SV, 41 K, 1.63 ERA - Replaces SP Bartolo Colon (Athletics) - 12-3, 70 K, 2.70 ERA

Going to be the last time we get to see this at an MLB All-Star Game.

5 Players Who Shouldn't Have Made It:

1) C Salvador Perez (Royals) - The numbers he's putting up aren't all-star caliber. How'd he make it?

2) 2B Ben Zobrist (Rays) - The AL already 3 second basemen. Why'd they add a fourth?

3) OF Torii Hunter (Tigers) - His numbers are okay, but it seems like he got here more because of who he is.

4) SP Chris Sale (White Sox) - He's pitching well, but if you have a losing record, how are you an All-Star?

5) RP Steve Delabar/Brett Cecil (Blue Jays) - Both guys are pitching really well right now, but since when are middle relievers All-Stars, especially two from the same ball club?

5 Players Who Should Have Made It:

1) C Carlos Santana (Indians) - .275 BA, 11 HR, 43 RBI. He should have easily made this team over Perez.

2A) 3B Josh Donaldson (Athletics) - .310 BA, 16 HR, 61 RBI and he was left off the roster for some reason.

2B) 3B Adrian Beltre (Rangers) - .316 BA, 21 HR, 55 RBI. Same as Donaldson. Both should be here over Zobrist.

3) OF Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox) - .305 BA, 59 R, 36 SB. He's a lot more deserving and I can't stand the Red Sox.

4) SP Hiroki Kuroda (Yankees) - 8-6, 84 K, 2.65 ERA. Outside of strikeouts he has better numbers than Sale. It's not like he's getting more hitting than Sale either as the team in the Bronx isn't really Bombing lately.

5) RP David Robertson (Yankees) - 22 HD, 51 K, 2.11 ERA. Somehow lost out on the last spot to Delabar. He's the main reason the Bronx Bombers are able to get from starting pitchers to Rivera. I don't know how he was left off.

National League:
Starting Lineup:
1) 2B Brandon Phillips (Reds) - .266 BA, 12 HR, 74 RBI
2) RF Carlos Beltran (Cardinals) - .309 BA, 19 HR, 53 RBI
3) 1B Joey Votto (Reds) - .318 BA, 15 HR, 42 RBI
4) 3B David Wright (Mets) - .304 BA, 13 HR, 44 RBI
5) LF Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies) - .302 BA, 25 HR, 64 RBI
6) C Yadier Molina (Cardinals) - .341 BA, 7 HR, 49 RBI
7) SS Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies) - .332 BA, 16 HR, 52 RBI
8) DH Michael Cuddyer (Rockies) - .330 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI
9) CF Bryce Harper (Nationals) - .264 BA, 13 HR, 29 RBI
0) SP Matt Harvey (Mets) - 7-2, 147 K, 2.35 ERA

The video below is from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as Matt Harvey interviews Mets fans in New York City about Matt Harvey.

Reserves:
C Buster Posey (Giants) - .325 BA, 13 HR, 56 RBI
C Brian McCann (Braves) - .291 BA, 12 HR, 32 RBI - Replaces 1B Freddie Freeman (Braves) - .308 BA, 9 HR, 61 RBI
1B Allen Craig (Cardinals) - .333 BA, 10 HR, 71 RBI
1B Paul Goldschmidt (Diamondbacks) - .313 BA, 21 HR, 77 RBI
2B Matt Carpenter (Cardinals) - .321 BA, 9 HR, 45 RBI
2B Marco Scutaro (Giants) - .316 BA, 2 HR, 22 RBI
3B Pedro Alvarez (Pirates) - .250 BA, 24 HR, 62 RBI
SS Everth Cabrera (Padres) - .291 BA, 4 HR, 25 RBI
SS Jean Segura (Brewers) - .325 BA, 11 HR, 36 RBI
OF Domonic Brown (Phillies) - .273 BA, 23 HR, 67 RBI
OF Carlos Gomez (Brewers) - .295 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBI
OF Andrew McCutchen (Pirates) - .302 BA, 10 HR, 49 RBI

Pitching Staff:
SP Madison Bumgarner (Giants) - 10-5, 122 K, 3.02 ERA
SP Patrick Corbin (Diamondbacks) - 11-1, 109 K, 2.35 ERA
SP Jose Fernandez (Marlins) - 5-5, 103 K, 2.75 ERA
SP Cliff Lee (Phillies) - 10-3, 125 K, 2.86 ERA
SP Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) - 8-6, 139 K, 1.98 ERA
SP Travis Wood (Cubs) - 6-6, 86 K, 2.79 ERA
RP Aroldis Champman (Reds) - 21 SV, 64 K, 2.79 ERA
RP Jason Grilli (Pirates) - 29 SV, 63 K, 1.99 ERA
RP Craig Kimbrel (Braves) - 26 SV, 54 K, 1.53 ERA
RP Mark Melancon (Pirates) - 25 HD, 46 K, 0.81 ERA - Replaces SP Jeff Locke (Pirates) - 8-2, 73 K, 2.15 ERA
RP Edward Mujica (Cards) - 26 SV, 34 K, 2.20 ERA - Replaces SP Adam Wainwright (Cards) - 12-5, 130 K, 2.45 ERA
RP Sergio Romo (Giants) - 21 SV, 38 K, 2.86 ERA - Replaces SP Jordan Zimmermann (Nationals) - 12-4, 95 K, 2.58 ERA

5 Players Who Shouldn't Have Made It
1) C Brian McCann (Braves) - Replaced a Brave with a Brave. Must have been that simple.
2) 2B Marco Scutaro (Giants) - He's batting over .300, but he's not scoring or hitting guys in. There's two guys more deserving.
3) OF Bryce Harper - Outside of him being a young phenom he just isn't having an all-star season. If you put his numbers up against the best five outfielders that didn't make this team they are all much more deserving. Only reason he made it was because of the fans vote. It helps when we've all known who he was since he was 16 (He shouldn't have been in last night's Derby either and he somehow almost won the thing).
4/5) SP Jose Fernandez (Marlins) & Travis Wood (Cubs) - Both guys are .500 on the year. Neither guy plays for a team that has any run support so I understand why their records are so poor. What it comes down to is that at least one player from each roster makes the all-star team and the MLB settled for these two on the Marlins and Cubs respectively. I know they are both playing well, but I think pitchers on winning teams deserve this spot more.

*) OF Yasiel Puig (Dodgers) - .391 BA, 8 HR, 19 RBI. Through one month of his MLB career he has been amazing. That's the reason for why he shouldn't be here. He's only played ONE month. Playing in 1/3 of this year's season shouldn't be enough to get you into this game. He's also 22 years old so if he keeps this up I'm sure he'll have a few more opportunities at playing in this game. For all we know he could fall off in the second half (I doubt it'll happen, but it could) and then we'd question putting him on this team. If he had come up at the beginning of May instead of June then I would say he should be on this team if he had numbers like .360 BA, 15 HR, 35 RBI. I just don't think anyone should make an all-star team after playing that little in a season (I still don't understand how Yao Ming made every NBA All-Star game. That guy rarely ever played.).

5 Players Who Should Have Made It
1) C Wilin Rosario (Rockies) - .276 BA, 13 HR, 46 RBI. He has been more productive than McCann.
2A) 2B Daniel Murphy (Mets) - .270 BA, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 52 R. The game is being played at Citi Field and that should have been enough to get him on this squad over Scutaro.
2B) 2B Chase Utley (Phillies) - .272 BA, 11 HR, 30 RBI. He has more power than Murphy and is a much bigger name. I'd take him or Murphy over Scutaro any day.
3A) OF Starling Marte - .291 BA, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 59 R, 28 SB. Not only is he playing phenomenally right now, but his team has the second best record in the National League. 
3B) OF Shin-Soo Choo - .287 BA, 13 HR, 31 RBI, 66 R, 11 SB. I'd put Marte slightly ahead of him, but he should definitely be in tonight's game as well. Why couldn't he get all of those same votes that Yao or Ichiro used to get? (I know Yao is Chinese, Ichiro is Japanese and Choo is Korean. Just seems like every time an Asian player is playing well they make all-star games easily.)
4/5A) SP Shelby Miller (Cardinals) - 9-6, 112 K, 2.92 ERA
4/5B) SP Mike Minor (Braves) - 9-4, 115 K, 3.02 ERA
4/5C) SP Gio Gonzalez (Natonals) - 7-3, 114 K, 3.03 ERA
All three of those pitchers have a winning record, over 100 strikeouts and an ERA that is right around 3. Any two of those three guys should be in this game over Hernandez & Wood (Wood's on my fantasy team and I still don't think he deserves to be here).

NBA Offseason: Cleveland Cavaliers

Are They Relevant Again?

Why in God's name am I writing about the Cleveland Cavaliers right now? They were so terrible they ended up with the first pick in the draft, again. Here's a quick step down memory lane. Now that you've watched the video you can realize that three years have passed, LeBron James has won two rings and the Cavaliers have won the lottery twice. Seems like David Stern did Cleveland a couple of good deeds after LeBron left Cleveland for dry to hang out with Dwyane Wade and Little Foot in South Beach.

With the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft the Cavaliers went out and drafted Anthony Bennett. Not the name anyone expected besides ESPN's Tim Legler. Then they made two signings that have potentially set them up well going forward in Andrew Bynum and Jarrett Jack. Jack basically left a Golden State team where he was the sixth man behind two young stud guards for Cleveland which is basically the same thing, just slightly younger. Don't be shocked if Jack's the sixth man of the year this year.

The Cavaliers went out and signed Andrew Bynum after he didn't play a single game last year. As much as I think you stay away from players that have injury problems the year before he was arguably one of the top five centers in the NBA when he posted 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. In eight seasons he's only played more than 60 games only twice so if they can get 70 games out of him this season then I think the Cavaliers could be headed for a spot in the playoffs.

I might be getting ahead of myself, but I'm guessing that come April they won't be worrying about what lottery pick they are getting. They might actually be heading for the playoffs again in Cleveland.

The Draft:

When the Cavaliers got the first pick in the draft most people wondered if it would be a smart decision to draft Nerlens Noel number one. Noel had surgery to repair his knee after getting injured at Kentucky and will miss half of this year's NBA season. The Cavaliers along with 4 other NBA teams all passed on the chance to draft him and when he finally got drafted he was traded so it's starting to appear as most teams weren't big on a guy who already has an injury history.

If you told me the Cavaliers weren't going to draft Noel I would guess they'd go with either Ben McLemore or Victor Oladipo who both have the potential to be great shooting guards in the NBA. Oladipo is the better defender and McLemore is the better scorer, and either would have been good picks at number one, just not if you are Cleveland. The Cavaliers already have Irving and Waiters at guard so it made plenty of sense for why they passed on the both of them.

With the first pick the Cavaliers shocked everyone especially ESPN's Bill Simmons when they drafted Bennett. I'm going to be completely honest, I hadn't actually heard of him until about two weeks before the draft. I didn't watch a lot of UNLV during the year as they aren't showed all that frequently and come March  I didn't have a lot of time to get to know him as the Running Rebels were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by California.

With the little that I have seen of Bennett he reminds me a lot of another former UNLV player, Larry Johnson. Both were drafted with the first pick of their NBA Drafts, both could play either forward position, and they are almost the exact same size (Bennett is 6'8" and weighs 240, Johnson was 6'7" and weighed 235).

Was this the right move? At the time it didn't look like it. Now with the roster they have assembled by adding Jack and Bynum, it looks like going with a combo forward was the best choice for them. I don't really know how good he is or how good he might end up being, but if the best he ends up is Larry Johnson, I think the Cavaliers made the right pick for what they have on their roster.

The Coach:

Timeline:

June 2005: Cavaliers hire Mike Brown as head coach

May 2010: Cavaliers fire Mike Brown as head coach

April 2013: Cavaliers rehire Mike Brown as head coach

Sometimes teams actually realize that maybe it wasn't the coaches fault that the team didn't succeed like they wanted to and it looks like the Cavaliers finally realized that with Mike Brown. Brown was fired after the Cavaliers were knocked out of the playoffs in 2010 and may have been fired to hopefully convince LeBron James back to stay in Cleveland.

LeBron ended up leaving anyways and Brown is then hired by the Lakers a year later. Brown struggled to do as well as the Lakers expect and was fired after the first five games of last season (Who the hell fires a coach through five games in a season by the way? Why couldn't they fire him in the offseason if they didn't want him to come back). Then the Lakers made the great hire of Mike Antoni (if you don't coach D you don't deserve the D in your name).

So when Byron Scott got fired it took the Cavaliers only a week to re-find the man that got them to the NBA Finals with LeBron James and ... (I'm not a LeBron fan but the man played with nobody in Cleveland, this is the first time I think I'm actually admitting it.).

Now that the Cavaliers have Brown back I think he might be the right coach to get this young team going in the right direction. He took the Cleveland LeBron's to the Finals so expect him to turn this young team into something good in a couple of years. I'm not expecting them to do too much this year, but just imagine a playoff series against the Miami Heat.

This Season:

Potential Cavaliers Starting Lineup:

Point Guard: Kyrie Irving

Shooting Guard: Dion Waiters

Small Forward: Anthony Bennett

Power Forward: Anderson Varejao

Center: Andrew Bynum

Key Bench Players:

Guard: Jarrett Jack

Guard: C.J. Miles

Forward: Alonzo Gee

Forward: Tristan Thompson

Center: Tyler Zeller

2013-2014 Cleveland Cavaliers = 2012-2013 Golden State Warriors. Yes I know this is a bit of a stretch but look at the rosters and tell me why I should think any differently. On paper they also look like they are a better defensive team compared to the Warriors of last year (Addition of Iguodala makes Golden State a much better defensive team now).

The main question Mike Brown will have with this team is who sits between Anthony Bennett, Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson? I know neither Varejao or Bynum are going to be healthy all season long, but when they are one of those three is going to have to come off of the bench. My guess is that Thompson will end up being the guy off of the bench for now as the Cavs might look to trade Varejao down the road.

^

I hope he never gets rid of this hairdo.

Bennett won't likely come out and be the Rookie of the Year this year, but I still see him being a 12 points and 5 rebounds a game guy from the start. He will be splitting too many minutes to get enough looks to average 15 a game as a rookie.

If the Cavaliers are able to play as well as I expect them to then Irving and Brown might have to be in consideration for MVP and Coach of the Year respectively. Here's a look at his stats from his first two years in the NBA and what I'm projecting for the next.

Uncle Drew's Stats:

2011-2012 - 18.5 pts, 5.4 ast, 1.1 stl

2012-2013 - 22.5 pts, 5.9 ast, 1.5 stl

2013-2014 - 25.0 pts, 7.0 ast, 2.0 stl (Projected)

If Irving and the Cavaliers can get this team back to the playoffs it will definitely help Cleveland move back in the right direction and help them forget "The Decision" all that much more. With how bad the Browns are and how likely the Indians are to fall apart in the second half of the season, the Cavaliers are going to have to be the team to bring the city of Cleveland back to their feet. I couldn't imagine being from Cleveland and rooting for all three of those teams over the last 25 years.

But, if for any reason that the Cavaliers end up in the lottery again next season, Dan Gilbert better have his son ready to go when the lottery comes around. He's either really good luck or the lottery might already be predetermined. 

Other NBA Offseason Posts:

Boston Celtics

New York Knicks

Brooklyn Nets

MLB All-Star Week: Home Run Derby

I think Major League Baseball did a great job this year of showcasing the New York teams for this year's MLB All-Star game at Citi Field. Having David Wright and Robinson Cano as captains of the Home Run Derby has definitely made it slightly more interesting.

There's a couple of things I would change about the HR Derby but the main thing is that there should be more players involved. I like that they put captains on both teams with the captains being members of the host team and closest rival like they did this year with Wright and Cano. I think letting the captains pick four other players for their squads would be great and then the MLB should give the fans the opportunity to vote for the sixth spot on both teams.

If you look at both teams it appears to be a little completely one-sided. I'm not expecting anybody from the National League to actually win this thing as all of the best HR hitters are on the American League's team. I really don't know if both captains made the best picks for their teams either with Wright really dropping the ball.

National League:

David Wright 
Season: 13 HR, Career: 217 HR

Bryce Harper
Season: 13 HR, Career: 35 HR

Michael Cuddyer
Season: 16 HR, Career: 173 HR

Pedro Alvarez
Season: 24 HR, Career: 74 HR

Carlos Gonzalez is currently leading the National League in home runs with 25 but had to be replaced by Alvarez due to injury. Alvarez should have been on this team from the get go as he is currently in second place in the NL with 24 home runs. So far with Wright (the captain) and Alvarez the team is only half right.

The other two guys on the NL's team should not be swinging away tonight. Harper only has 13 home runs this year and has only hit 35 total in his career. I don't know if he's right for this kind of competition as he is a similar hitter to Wright. Cuddyer happens to play in home run happy Colorado where everyone seems to become a home run hitter and if he had to play at Citi Field all season long he would probably be closer to 10 home runs right now.

When I look at who should replace these two guys, I would have been okay with any two from these next four: Domonic Brown (23 HR), Paul Goldschmidt (21 HR), Jay Bruce (19 HR) and Carlos Beltran (19 HR). I would have especially liked to have seen Wright pick his former teammate Beltran to have the chance to put on a show once again at the ballpark he once called home.

I wouldn't be shocked if all of these players didn't make it to the round 2 of tonight's Derby. Wright and Harper aren't home run hitters (I'm a Mets fan and I don't have much hope for Wright.), Cuddyer doesn't have friendly Coors Field helping him and Pedro Alvarez will likely fall flat under the bright lights. Don't expect a winner to come from here or any of them to really challenge for this year's title.

^

I hope they don't plan on raising this guy after every single home run. The apple isn't used to home runs.

American League:

Robinson Cano
Season: 21 HR, Career: 198 HR

Prince Fielder
Season: 16 HR, Career: 276 HR

Chris Davis
Season: 37 HR, Career: 114 HR

Yoenis Cespedes
Season: 15 HR, Career: 38 HR

Robby Cano could have completely stacked his team for this year's competition, but for some reason he added underachieving Yoenis Cespedes to the AL roster (Trust me he's underachieving. He's on my fantasy team and I've been wanting to drop him for two months.)

Cano was right in adding Chris Davis who might be the first player to hit more than 61 home runs and not take steroids (Can someone just "randomly" drug test him please? We need to make sure he's clean before another guy jacked up on steroids beats out Roger Maris again.).

The other no-brainer was Prince Fielder who's the defending champion. Fielder also won this competition in 2009. If Fielder wins tonight he will join Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to ever win three MLB Home Run Derbys.

So with three guys on the team all you have to do is replace Cespedes who only has 15 home runs this season. Coming into the break there are 10 guys in the AL who have over 20 home runs and somehow he chose Cespedes over them.

The obvious pick would be to add Miguel Cabrera who has 30 home runs so that we can watch him in potential showdowns with Davis and teammate, Prince Fielder. Cabrera and Davis are currently competing against one another for the Triple Crown and if Davis slows down in the second half we could possibly see a repeat Triple Crown winner.

Because I'm a Mets fan I'll be picking David Wright tonight. You shouldn't be allowed to root against a guy from the team that you root for 162 games a season. The easy picks are to go with Davis or Fielder, but I wouldn't be surprised if Cano came out and won his second HR Derby. He was terrible last year when he put up an egg so expect him to actually show up tonight. Again if you have to choose anyone just stay away from the guys suiting up for the National League.

NBA Offseason: Brooklyn Nets

Didn't See This Coming

I was really starting to enjoy having the Nets in Brooklyn until they started feeling like they had to be better than the Knicks. The rivalry is great for basketball, but face it no Knicks fan wants to see the Nets actually win.

Last year the Nets went out and brought in Joe Johnson and now they have brought in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko. Not to mention they stole Jason Kidd from the Knicks as well (it's okay most Knicks fans are very happy to not have to watch him throw up brick after brick in the playoffs anymore).

I'm still in shock that Boston would actually give up their two best players in a trade to someone that they still have to play four times a year. The Nets really got lucky with this trade and they didn't really have to give up all that much to get it done in terms of players. If Garnett and Pierce don't work out then this trade isn't worth it as they have compromised their future in giving up three of their next five first round picks.

The under the radar move for Kirilenko was probably one of the best free agent signings of this year's free agency. With Pierce and Garnett getting up their in age Kirilenko will likely be brought in for a good amount of minutes throughout the game so that the two of them can remain fresh for an entire season. Kirilenko will be not be relied on for his scoring on this team, but he will end up being this team's version of Tony Allen. His lockdown defense will allow Johnson and Pierce to focus more on the offensive side of the ball.

The one draft pick that they had in this draft might see a good amount of minutes for the Nets. Mason Plumlee isn't going to be a superstar by any means, but if he is able to be the Nets version of Tyler Hansbrough then I think he will do just fine. Just don't expect him to be the same player he was at Duke in Brooklyn.

The Trade:

Brooklyn Nets Receive:

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce & Jason Terry

Boston Celtics Receive:

Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans & Kris Joseph

Nets 1st Round Picks in 2014, 2016 & 2018

The Nets aren't looking to the future and this trade has it written all over it. They were able to bring in Pierce, Garnett and Terry to help solidify what is probably the deepest starting lineup in the NBA right now. Along with bringing in these guys they were able to get rid of two contracts they didn't want in Wallace and Humphries (I know Jay-Z isn't there anymore, but I'm positive this deal was partially done to make Kanye happy).

The one thing that kind of turns me off in this trade for the Nets is that they might have given up too many picks. I don't know if giving up three first round picks in five years for three players that won't even be on the team come 2016 was such a good idea. I'm actually hoping for the Nets that Pierce and Garnett are retired by 2016. Pierce is only going to get fatter and slower and Garnett probably won't even be able to walk by then.

Don't get me wrong this team is trying to win NOW so this was the best move they could make to help them do it. I just don't know if crippling a team's future to bring in three guys that are at least 35 years old is a great idea. If this team is going to succeed two years from now they will likely have to make a similar move to this. They will have to re-up on talent with picks that they just don't have anymore. 

The Coach:

Jason Kidd went from playing point guard for the New York Knicks to jumping to the other borough as the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Is anyone else completely shocked that they would bring Kidd in? I was shocked enough that his name came up as a rumor early on and then even more shocked when they actually hired him.

Kidd will end up being the major reason why this team will not win this season or the next. He just isn't ready to be a head coach. If you are going to be a head coach you should probably have to spend some time on the bench as an assistant before ever getting control of a team. This was easily the Nets worst move of the offseason.

He just finished playing a couple of months ago and will now be taking over a team that has players that he's recently played with and against. While I believe that Kidd can end up being a great head coach, I just don't think it will be in time for Garnett and Pierce to win a title with the Nets. 

Brooklyn should have gone after George Karl who was recently fired from the Denver Nuggets. That would have easily been the best coach they could have brought in for this team. He's a well-respected coach that just won the NBA Coach of the Year Award. Somehow they thought that Kidd was the better choice and this will be why they don't hang up any banners in Brooklyn for a few years. It would have made a lot more sense to bring in Karl as the head coach with Kidd helping him as an assistant.

This Season:

Potential Nets Starting Lineup:

Point Guard: Deron Williams

Shooting Guard: Joe Johnson

Small Forward: Paul Pierce

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett

Center: Brook Lopez

Key Bench Players:

Guard: Jason Terry

Guard: Tyshawn Taylor

Forward: Andrei Kirilenko

Forward: Reggie Evans

Center: Mason Plumlee

Try and name a team with a deeper starting lineup than that right now. Just imagine how fun it will be to play as this team in NBA Live 14 (the best basketball video game is finally back). All five guys could end up being all-stars next year. This is basically the same exact thing that the Lakers tried to accomplish last season with stacking their starting lineup with former all-stars. Didn't exactly work out all that well for them. Great teams on paper don't usually live up to what they are supposed to be on the court.

The main problem with their starting lineup is that none of those guys are role players. Who is going to take the last shot? Outside of Garnett who will be relied on to defend the best player on the opposite team in crunch time?

Williams is a shoot first point guard, Johnson and Pierce like to shoot 15-20 times a game and I'm sure Garnett and Lopez are going to want their shots in the post as well. Do I think they are a better team than last year? Absolutely. That doesn't mean they are going to actually win a championship anytime soon. Miami is the best team in the East, Indiana and New York will be back next year, and that guy in Chicago (not MJ, this other guy: video) will be healthy again.

It's a good thing that when they go to their bench that Jason Terry is the only guy that likes to shoot (kind of an understatement). The rest of their key players are too young to command the ball (Taylor & Plumlee) or highly unlikely to take shots away from the better players on the team (Kirilenko & Evans).

I'm looking forward to seeing this team play next year and will likely watch them every chance I get. I just think they might have tried to hard to win now and may have compromised their future. Mikhail Prokhorov did a lot of great things for the Nets as the owner of this team so far, but saying that they would definitely win a championship within his first five years might have been the worst thing he could have ever done.

Other NBA Offseason Posts:

Boston Celtics

New York Knicks

Looking Back at Last Year's Howard-Bynum-Iguodala Trade

Remember on August 10, 2012 when the NBA had one of it's biggest blockbuster trades in a long time? Dwight Howard ended up on the Los Angeles Lakers, Andrew Bynum went to the Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Iguodala was sent to the Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic ended up with a few young players and picks.

That trade looks a lot different now. If you are a Magic fan, the chances are you're happier than the fans of those other three teams.

The Trade:

Los Angeles Lakers Receive:

Dwight Howard, Earl Clark & Chris Duhon

When the trade happened it looked like they were the winners. They finally had the center that could possibly lead their team to glory again as his predecessors had done before (Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Shaquille O'Neal). The Lakers also added free agent signing Steve Nash and then nothing seemed to work for this Lakers team.

Only five games into the season and already the Lakers had fired Mike Brown and then hired Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson. What team could possibly think choosing a guy who never wins playoffs series over a guy who has won 11 rings as a head coach is a good idea?

Injuries plagued the Lakers all season and struggled to make the playoffs. They were able to finish seventh in the West after Kobe Bryant through the team on his back towards the end. All of the minutes that Bryant played in the season is probably what led to him going down with an injury late in the season. In the first round of the playoffs the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in four games with Bryant unavailable for the playoffs. A first round exit wasn't exactly the finish anyone expected from the "Lake Show."

Two and a half months later and Dwight Howard is no longer wearing the purple and gold. Both Clark and Duhon are also no longer with the Lakers either, but I'm sure most Lakers fans don't really care. Looking back at this trade, Los Angeles must hate themselves. They gave away a center that wanted to be there for a guy that didn't and never reached the potential that this 2012-2013 team had.

When the Lakers look back at this trade now they must be regretting it. The Lakers failed in the 12-13 season and they took themselves out of the running for any titles for another 2 years. By then Bryant will likely retire and never get the sixth ring that would tie him with Michael Jordan.

When free agency rolled around it didn't appear that the Lakers even had a chance of bringing back Howard. The Rockets were the favorites from the beginning and the Warriors almost swooped in and stole him. The Mavericks and Hawks had almost as much a chance as the Lakers and neither of them were ever really in the picture. The Lakers even stooped to as low as putting up a banner for Dwight in hopes of him not leaving. Since when do the Lakers have to try and convince players to come play at the Staples Center.

By the way the Clippers were able to get their guy. What the hell is going on in Los Angeles?

Grade: D+

While the team didn't live up to expectations, they at least made the playoffs and had some glimpses of hope during the season. Injuries plagued the team more than anything else and they weren't going to win without Kobe Bryant.

Philadelphia 76ers Receive:

Andrew Bynum & Jason Richardson

0. That's the amount of games that Andrew Bynum ended up playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.
12.8 Million. That's how much the 76ers are stuck paying for Jason Richardson total for the next two seasons.

Talk about getting the worst of the deal. The only reason they made this trade was in the hopes that Bynum could be their franchise center. Bynum then gets injured and misses the entire season with an array of problems and the only thing Sixers fans had to bring smiles to their faces was this.

In the 2011-2012 shortened season the Sixers went 35-31 and finished with the eighth best record in the East. The following season they won one less game in a full season and finished with a record of 34-48. Not exactly what anyone expected from the "Illadelph."

The Sixers will likely be a lottery team this year. They'd be lucky to win any more than 30 games with their current roster. They couldn't have screwed up with this trade anymore than they did. In what was supposed to be a trade that helped the Sixers, it was actually a trade that completely killed this team and led them to starting over.

Bynum has now signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, so he will never end up playing a game for Philadelphia. There really is no way for anyone dealing with the 76ers to actually look at this trade in a positive way. They got worse from the trade and took on a bad contract. I can't think of a trade where a team did so poorly in it. At least the Phillies and Eagles are doing good right? Wait they both still suck too. Sorry Philly.

Grade: F

They gave away their best player, traded for a guy that didn't play a game all season for them and got stuck with an overpriced player that nobody wanted. Good Job!

Denver Nuggets Receive:

Andre Iguodala

"Iggy" to the Nuggets was a trade that really helped Denver this season. I know that Iguodala is no longer with the Nuggets as he has signed with the Golden State Warriors, but this trade wasn't bad for them at all.

Injuries plagued the Nuggets for a majority of the season and Iguodala was one of the few guys on this team that was on the court on a consistent basis. He was the leader of a team that ended up with the three seed in the playoffs somehow and if it wasn't because of so many injuries they might have actually advanced in the playoffs.

This trade was really a rental for Denver as they only had him for the season, but they have to know that they did better than LA and Philly. Their team made it to the playoffs and the player they received was the main reason for it. They didn't give up too much in the trade either outside of losing Arron Afflalo and a first round pick so they have to keep their chins up.

This team has a future with Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari so they have to look forward to their future. If Javale McGee can become a little less of a headcase and Wilson Chandler can stay healthy they will be fine without Iguodala this season. They will still be a playoff team without him, just not as good.

Grade: B

They were a much better team due to the addition of Iguodala. Even though he didn't stay with the team he gave the Nuggets a real chance during last season. They also didn't lose too much in the trade either.

Orlando Magic Receive:
Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts & Christian Eyenga
3 1st Round Picks (2014 Nuggets (or Knicks), 2017 Lakers (Conditional) & Future 76ers (Conditional))
2 2nd Round Picks (2015 Lakers & 2017 Lakers (Conditional))

The Magic traded away Dwight Howard because he wanted nothing to do with playing for them anymore. This happened only a short while after he extended his contract after being questioned about whether or not he was going to stay all season long. I think he just felt guilty about leaving even though it was all he wanted to do. You can only go to Disney World so many times before you get sick of the rides I guess. (I've been twice and I'm terrified of heights so roller coasters aren't exactly my cup of tea.)

If you really look at it, Howard did Orlando a favor. By extending his contract for another season and then saying he wanted to leave, he allowed the Magic to actually get something for him. I know they hate him in Orlando now and will probably hate him for a long time, but he actually helped give this team a future through the trade.

If you look at what they gave up, they really did an excellent job in this trade. They were able to get rid of Howard and three players that they didn't want in Duhon, Clark and Richardson. They made it so that if they were going to get rid of their key player, they were going to get rid of guys they didn't want and stack up on young talent and draft picks.

Of the four guys they still have on their roster from the trade, the only one that isn't really a part of the team's future is Al Harrington. Harrington didn't play all that much for Orlando last year and will likely see even less minutes this year. Eyenga was released before the season started and McRoberts was traded during the season.

When you look at the other three players they received, Orlando has to be happy. Afflalo ended up being the Magic's best scorer last year as he averaged 16.5 points per game. Mo Harkless ended up putting up relatively good numbers in his rookie campaign as he scored eight points and had four rebounds per game. But the key piece in the trade was Nikola Vucevic. That's right Vucevic. One of those foreign centers actually playing up to what Fran Fraschilla said about him.

I think it was halfway through last season when I finally realized who this dude was. Vucevic went from being a guy I hadn't really heard of to a double-double machine. He finished the year starting in all 77 of the 77 games he played in and averaged 13.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest. Not bad numbers from a guy playing in his second season.

This team won't likely compete this season so a lottery pick is on the horizon. They likely won't be ready next year either but three years from now this team could be moving up in the Eastern Conference. With the young pieces they received in this trade in Harkless and Vucevic and the addition of Oladipo they could be a pretty good team in the future. Another early pick in this year's draft could really set them up. Now they just have to get rid of Jameer "remember when people thought St. Joe's was good" Nelson.

Grade: A-

Traded away the guy that didn't want to be there. Ended up getting rid of a guy they didn't want. Added two young studs and a bunch of draft picks. The Magic once again have a future.

UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman Review

Main Card on PPV:

Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (33-5) vs. Chris Weidman (10-0)
Result: Weidman wins via TKO (punches) at 1:18 of round 2 to win the Middleweight Championship.

Chris Weidman shocked the world and he made a lot of people very happy while doing it. Do I think he's a better fighter than Silva for winning this fight? NO!

Silva fought like he has fought on many occasions. He felt he was a lot better than his opponent and this time he finally got caught. Some people think Anderson was fighting stupid but he's been fighting like this for a long time. I guess it's only stupid when you get caught.

I thought Silva was winning the fight prior to getting caught with that punch. I want to see a rematch and think it has to happen. He's the best fighter I've ever seen and he hadn't lost in the UFC prior to this defeat. If he wants a rematch he should get one.

The fans booing after the fight just shows how people jump from one person to another. If he wins this fight they'd be going nuts for him, but because he lost this way he's hated. It was a disrespectful way to fight, but don't just jump on every bandwagon.

I don't really know where either fighter goes from here after this fight. The only thing that makes sense is a rematch. No one should be challenging for the championship at this point because no one's really earned a title shot. I don't understand Silva not wanting to fight for the title. This could mean he's going to drop down and fight St-Pierre or possibly go up after Jones. 

Either way congrats to Chris Weidman on becoming the first fighter to defeat Anderson Silva in seven years.

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (16-4-1) vs. Charles Oliveira (16-4, 1NC)
Result: Edgar wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

How can people not like Frankie Edgar? Edgar looked impressive and was able to get his first win since late 2011. I had him winning all three rounds with him being the most impressive during the third. He was finally starting to connect late in the fight.

Oliveira is a guy that might end up becoming champion in a couple of years. He's only 23 years old and if he works on his cardio and takedown defense he could end up being a force at featherweight. His size is perfect for this weight class as he should have a height and reach advantage over most fighters in the division.

Edgar was able to win this fight with his boxing and takedowns. His takedowns started to worry me though as I thought he was taking the fight to where Oliveira was strongest. Oliveira wasn't able to do too much off of his back so Edgar's decision didn't come back to bite him.

I think Edgar should fight Swanson to determine the number one contender. Both guys looked good tonight and a fight between the two could show which one is more ready for a second chance at the champion. I know Aldo fights "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung next, but I just don't see him losing that fight.

Oliveira should remain in the UFC at this weight class. He needs to work on his takedown defense a good amount before he steps in the Octagon with a wrestler of Edgar's caliber again. I'd like to see him go up against someone in the division with good wrestling skills so that Oliveira could get some practice in defending takedowns.

Middleweight: Tim Kennedy (16-4) vs. Roger Gracie (6-2)
Result: Kennedy wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Once again a Gracie steps into the Octagon and doesn't come out the victor. I had Kennedy winning this fight 29-28. Kennedy didn't really do too much in the first round so I gave that one to Gracie who controlled more of it.

Neither guy really impressed me, but Gracie really unimpressed me. He looked lost when he was striking, he was too slow, and his cardio was shot midway through the second round. If he wasn't so tall, Kennedy would've probably knocked him out in the third. His height advantage was the best thing he had going for him in this fight.

Kennedy looked alright. I was surprised he wanted to grapple so much. I thought he was a much better striker so why even attempt to grapple with someone with the last name Gracie. He should get a top 15 middleweight in his next bout. I don't think he's top 10 and I'm not sure if he'll ever be a fighter at the top of the division.

Gracie has to move up to light heavyweight in my opinion. He should gain 10 pounds and go up to 205 where he doesn't have to cut as much weight. He's probably cutting 20 pounds to get down to 185 which gassed him a lot. If he only had to cut 10-15 pounds to get to 205 that would suit him much better. If he does go up I'd love to see him fight against Robert Drysdale who has recently joined the UFC.

Middleweight: Mark Munoz (13-3) vs. Tim Boetsch (16-6)
Result: Munoz wins via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28).

Very good performance by Mark Munoz. Had him winning 29-27. Thought Boetsch did a little more than him in the first round but the rest of the fight was all Munoz. Second round I even gave Munoz a 10-8 because he dominated the entire five minutes.

Expected this fight to be much closer than it was, but Munoz just proved to be the much better wrestler. Boetsch just couldn't handle Munoz's wrestling skills at all.

I think Munoz should definitely be on his way up at middleweight now. I would love to see him get a rematch with Yushin Okami if Okami is able to defeat Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. Munoz should be able to get by Okami the next time around as he has gotten that much better since the first fight.

I don't really know where Boetsch goes from here. He won his first four fights at middleweight and has now lost two straight. Another loss in a row and he could be on his way out. I'm guessing the UFC gives him a lower level opponent so that he's able to get back on the winning track.

Featherweight: Cub Swanson (20-5) vs. Dennis Siver (21-9)
Result: Swanson wins via TKO (punches) at 2:24 of round 3.

Wow that fight was good. I had the fight tied going into the last round with Siver getting the first and Swanson getting the second. Swanson made sure the fight didn't go to the judges scorecards with a very impressive knockout.

I was extremely impressed with Swanson's performance. He didn't let Siver use the spinning kick or get too much of an offense going. The only time Swanson struggled was when he ended up on his back during parts of the first round.

He should definitely be in the consideration for a rematch against Jose Aldo if he gets by the "Zombie" next month. As I mentioned earlier, if the UFC doesn't go that route I think a match-up with Edgar down the road would be a good fight to determine who gets the next title shot.

As for Siver, I think he needs to consider losing some muscle if he's going to stay at featherweight. If he's not going to lose any weight then he should go back up to lightweight because he seemed winded way too early into the fight. After the first round he just didn't seem to have it anymore.

UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman Preview

Main Card on PPV:

Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (33-4) vs. Chris Weidman (9-0)
Prediction: Silva wins via 1st round KO

Last 3 Fights for Silva:
UFC 134: Yushin Okami II - Win by TKO (punches) at 2:04 of round 2 for Middleweight Championship
UFC 148: Chael Sonnen II - Win by TKO (knee to the body & punches) at 1:55 of round 2 for Middleweight Championship
UFC 153: Stephan Bonnar - Win by TKO (knee to the body & punches) at 4:40 of round 1

Last 3 Fights for Weidman:
UFC 139 - Tom Lawlor - Win by technical submission (d'arce choke) at 2:07 of round 1
UFC on FOX 2 - Demian Maia - Win by unanimous decision
UFC on Fuel TV 5 - Mark Munoz - Win by KO (elbow & punches) at 1:37 of round 2

The greatest MMA fighter of all time is looking to continue his streak of 17 straight wins and I just don't see anybody stopping him at this point. I used to try and root for the underdogs against him, but at this point how can you tell me that he is going to lose a fight? He's made almost everyone he's fought in the UFC look absolutely stupid.

I still remember when I saw Anderson Silva come into the UFC and absolutely destroy Chris Leben in his first fight. Then he destroyed Rich Franklin twice and he's been on a roll ever since. The only two fights that even make sense after the Weidman fight are fights against the Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre and the Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.

While I believe Weidman is a really good fighter, I just don't think he's great yet. His best wins are over Mark Munoz (struggles against the best of the division) and Demian Maia (moved down to welterweight). There wasn't anyone that really deserved a title shot at Silva yet so I'm okay with the UFC giving it to the undefeated Weidman.

The only way Weidman is going to win this fight is by taking this fight to a decision. If he is able to control Silva on the ground like Sonnen did in their first fight then maybe he comes out the winner. I don't see that happening though as Silva will likely end this fight pretty early. Weidman has superior wrestling skills, but Silva is so much better at everything else and he's already been here, a lot.

If you like highlight finishes you will probably get what you're looking for in this fight. Silva is the best striker that the sport has ever seen and expect him to end this fight in impressive fashion. Not sure how he'll end it, but I'm sure it'll be by a knee, leg, elbow or fist. Just watch it and enjoy "The Spider."

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (15-4-1) vs. Charles Oliveira (16-3, 1NC)
Prediction: Edgar wins via unanimous decision.

Last 3 Fights for Edgar:
UFC 144 - Benson Henderson I - Loss by unanimous decision for Lightweight Championship
UFC 150 - Benson Henderson II - Loss by split decision for Lightweight Championship
UFC 156 - Jose Aldo - Loss by unanimous decision for Featherweight Championship

Last 3 Fights for Oliveira:
UFC on Fox 2 - Eric Wisely - Won by submission (reverse calf slicer) at 1:43 of round 1
Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale - Jonathan Brookins - Won by submission (anaconda choke) at 2:42 of round 2
UFC 152 - Cub Swanson - Loss by KO (punch) at 2:40 of round 1

The scene above can pretty accurately describe Edgar's most recent year and a half. He lost his belt to Henderson and then lost again in the rematch. He moved down to featherweight to challenge Jose Aldo for his title and came up short again. Edgar can't afford to lose this match tonight and I don't expect him to.

His opponent tonight is Charles Oliveira who has gone in a slightly similar route to Edgar. Both started off in the UFC's lightweight division and moved down to featherweight where their size better suits them. Oliveira isn't on the same level as Edgar and will likely be heavily outmatched in this fight.

Oliveira is also coming off a loss for this fight so he really can't take another one. If he loses tonight I could see the UFC giving him the ax. Oliveira is well-versed in BJJ and Muay Thai, but I'm not sure if he'll be able to use either all that successfully tonight.

Expect Edgar to come out and use his takedowns to keep Oliveira off balance for the majority of the fight. When he takes him to the ground I don't see Oliveira being able to do much as Edgar is one of the best wrestlers in the sport. I don't see this fight ending before the final bell, but expect Edgar to finally have his hand raised once again.

Middleweight: Tim Kennedy (15-4) vs. Roger Gracie (6-1)
Prediction: Gracie wins via 1st round submission.

Last 3 Fights for Kennedy:
Strikeforce Fedor-Henderson - Robbie Lawler - Win by unanimous decision
Strikeforce Rockhold-Kennedy - Luke Rockhold - Loss by unanimous decision for Strikeforce Middlweight Championship
Strikeforce Marquardt-Saffiedine - Trevor Smith - Win by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:36 of round 3

Last 3 Fights for Gracie:
Strikeforce Barnett-Kharitonov - Muhammed Lawal - Loss by KO (punch) at 4:33 of round 1
Strikeforce Rockhold-Kennedy - Keith Jardine - Win by unanimous decision
Strikeforce Marquardt-Saffiedine - Anthony Smith - Win by submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:16 of round 2

It's been a very long time since a Gracie was victorious in the UFC. You have to go all the way back to UFC 4 to see one have their hand raised at the end of a fight in the Octagon. At that event Royce won the UFC 4 Tournament, making him the first and only three-time UFC Tournament winner.

Since that event Royce has returned to draw with Dan Severn and lose to Matt Hughes. Renzo recently came over to the UFC and lost to Hughes as well. Rolles lost in his UFC debut back in 2010 to Joey Beltran and hasn't been back since. Tonight Roger hopes to put the Gracie name back in the UFC win column.

Roger is the typical Gracie fighter. He has great submission skills and not much of a stand-up game. He has recently come over to the UFC after Strikeforce was officially closed up and I think he has the potential to make a big splash in the UFC's middleweight division. He has to improve his stand-up game as he goes along and needs to primarily rely on getting fighters to the ground where he has the major advantage.

His opponent tonight is another fighter that is making his UFC debut after the collapse of Strikeforce, Tim Kennedy. Kennedy is a well-rounded fighter that twice challenged for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, coming up short on both occasions to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Luke Rockhold. Kennedy will have the advantage standing up so expect him to try to avoid the ground at all costs.

While Kennedy is a really good fighter, I just see Gracie being able to get a hold of him on the ground long enough to end the fight. Kennedy has good submission skills, but they just aren't on the level of Gracie's. I see this ending in the first round with Gracie pulling off an armbar.

Middleweight: Mark Munoz (12-3) vs. Tim Boetsch (16-5)
Prediction: Munoz wins via unanimous decision.

Last 3 Fights for Munoz:
UFC 131 - Demian Maia - Win by unanimous decision
UFC 138 - Chris Leben - Win by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2
UFC on Fuel TV 5 - Chris Weidman - Loss by KO (elbow & punches) at 1:37 of round 2

Last 3 Fights for Boetsch:
UFC 144 - Yushin Okami - Win by TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 3
UFC 149 - Hector Lombard - Win by split decision
UFC 155 - Constantinos Philippou - Loss by TKO (punches) at 2:11 of round 3

Both fighters are ranked by the UFC in the top 10 of contenders for Anderson Silva's UFC Middleweight Championship. Munoz is currently ranked 8th and is coming off a loss to tonight's challenger for the title in Chris Weidman. Tim Boetsch is ranked 10th and is also coming off a loss as he was defeated by Constantinos Philippou late last year.

These two guys match up very well in my opinion. Both guys come from wrestling backgrounds with Munoz having the much higher level of wrestling as he was a D-1 all-american while in college. Both fighters have lost to guys at the top of the division and were on rolls before their most recent defeats.

Munoz has the slightly better striking game with Boetsch having a better submission game. I don't see this fight ending early as both fighters styles will keep them from doing what they want to to end the fight. I think Munoz is a slightly better fighter and he should be able to come out victorious tonight. His slightly better wrestling skills might give them the extra takedown or two that will allow him to earn the victory in a close decision.

Featherweight: Cub Swanson (19-5) vs. Dennis Siver (21-8)
Prediction: Swanson wins via unanimous decision.

Last 3 Fights for Swanson:
UFC on FX 4 - Ross Pearson - Win by TKO (punches) at 4:14 of round 2
UFC 152 - Charles Oliveira - Win by KO (punch) at 2:40 of round 1
UFC on Fuel TV 7 - Dustin Poirier - Win by unanimous decision

Last 3 Fights for Siver:
UFC 137 - Donald Cerrone - Loss by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:22 of round 1
UFC on Fuel TV 2 - Diego Nunes - Win by unanimous decision
UFC on FOX 5 - Nam Phan - Win by unanimous decision

This will likely be the fight of the night. Both guys know they are a win or two from a shot at the featherweight championship and I can't see either of them not showing up tonight. They both have enough experience in the Octagon by now that they shouldn't let the Octagon jitters get to them. Swanson and Siver are currently ranked fifth and sixth respectively in the UFC's featherweight division.

Both fighters can finish the fight on their feet and on the ground so I could see this fight being a war everywhere it goes. I'm not sure if either guy is that much better than the other at any point in the fight so I think this one will go the entire fifteen minutes. Swanson has been at this weight for most of his career and this will only be Siver's third fight in this division. I'm expecting Swanson to be slightly more used to the cut and him having the slight advantage because of it.

The winner of this fight will likely call out Aldo in the end and my guess is it will be Swanson. He won't finish this fight, but I'm expecting him to want this fight slightly more as he wants to avenge his loss to Aldo which seemingly put Aldo on the map.

NBA Offseason: New York Knicks

Making All the Wrong Moves

I haven't really liked anything this team has done this offseason. As someone that has been following this team for a long time, I'm starting to think they might have to go in a different direction. If there's anything I've learned about that basketball team in Canada is that you NEVER trade for one of their best players. They might seem like great players, but they never are (Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter & Chris Bosh (TMac & Vinsanity weren't winners and Bosh is a role player)).

Outside of that trade they brought back Pablo Prigioni and J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. in the first round. One of the main reasons I loved the Hardaway Jr. pick was because I couldn't stand to watch the Knicks get destroyed by another Hardaway.

As for Prigioni and Smith, I was really hoping some other team would overpay for Smith and Prigioni would end up back in Europe. Prigioni doesn't do enough and to be honest he's too old! Smith is a bad version of Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks don't need two guys hogging the ball for the majority of the game.

The Trade:

New York Knicks Receive:

Andrea Bargnani

Toronto Raptors Receive:

Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, Quentin Richardson

Knicks 1st round pick in 2016, Knicks 2nd round picks in 2014 and 2017

I am praying that by 2016 the Knicks are still contending, otherwise they just threw away a key piece in rebuilding by giving away another first round pick. The two second round picks I'm not really worried about as most teams are just drafting foreign players that never come over to the NBA with those picks.

I didn't think the Knicks could have made a worse move than this. Why couldn't they offer Amare Stoudemire in this deal if they were going to make it. Andrea Bargnani just isn't that good and he never should have been drafted number one. He's a small forward in a center's body who's almost as afraid of rebounding as J.R. Smith is of passing. The only positive from this trade is that MSG will likely cut to his girlfriend in every game and at least that's something to look forward to (if you don't believe me look her up).

Losing Novak and Camby aren't going to really affect this Knicks team. Novak was used sparingly towards the end of the season and Camby saw less court time than Aaron Hernandez (too soon?).

Either way the Knicks finally have a jump shooter that they aren't afraid to start and give minutes to so I can't be too aggravated about it. 

This Season:

Potential Knicks Starting Lineup:

Point Guard: Raymond Felton

Shooting Guard: Iman Shumpert

Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony

Power Forward: Andrea Bargnani

Center: Tyson Chandler

Key Bench Players:

Guard: Pablo Prigioni

Guard: J.R. Smith

Guard: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Forward: Amare Stoudemire

Forward: Kenyon Martin/Elton Brand

The Knicks are bringing back the highest paid frontcourt in basketball for another shot at the title and part of that frontcourt is costing them way too much. Remember when Amare Stoudemire was one of the best players in the NBA during the 2010-2011 season with the Knicks before they traded for Carmelo? It seems like a decade ago. 

Stoudemire has spent way too much time on the DNP portion of the box score and not enough time carrying some of the load for the Knicks. If the Knicks are going to have a shot at this years championship it's going to be because of him. Yes, the Knicks season is riding on Amare Stoudemire's knees. When he's healthy he can be a 20 and 8 guy and the Knicks could really use that. I'd even settle for 15 and 6 as long as he played a little defense here and there. If they can use him off the bench similar to how they use Smith at the guard position then I think they can really contend with Miami for the East this year.

I don't want to spend too much time talking about Carmelo as I think he did everything he possibly could last year, but I would like him to not look as lost out there on defense. If he's covering a guy that's running around screens constantly it's like watching Wile E. Coyote try to get the Road Runner.

Raymond Felton has to take control of the Knicks more often as the team's point guard. Too much of the time he allows Smith and Anthony to control the ball and that's when the Knicks end up wasting 15 seconds for one of those two guys to shoot. Felton is a really good point guard that is very good at running the pick and roll and the Knicks should try to do that more often next year. Every time him and Chandler run it I just start expecting the alley oop.

The Knicks will finish in the top four of the East this year, I'm just not sure how high or low they'll end up. They still need to grab another big with either Kenyon Martin returning or them bringing in Elton Brand. I'm not huge on either move as both have had injury problems, but both of those guys bring rebounding and defense which is something the Knicks don't have much of outside of Chandler and Shumpert. If they aren't able to grab one of those two then they are going to have some major problems in the front court and I don't want them to end up signing another old guy who's knees will be done by the all-star break.

Any Future:

Three years from now this team might look completely different. If the Knicks don't win by then they might rid the team of everyone and try again or have to start completely fresh. New York hasn't really went in the rebuilding mode since they drafted Patrick Ewing almost 30 years ago so rebuilding is probably not going to happen.

The Knicks current players are only going to get older and the only two guys I see on this team in five years are Tim Hardaway Jr. and Iman Shumpert. Having only two current players that young scares me as a Knicks fan as I have no idea what to expect from this team. Trading away first round pick after first round pick is also not going to help them. Bargnani is relatively young compared to the rest of the team, but if the Knicks aren't winning he'll likely be the scapegoat.

The only things Knicks fans can really look forward to in the future is just how big this hair might actually get...

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