Four games into the season, the Orlando Magic have been the surprise of the NBA this year. At 3-1, the Magic have stormed out too first place in the Eastern Conference. Some fans will shrug it off as a fluke but this team is quietly building a solid team.
The team will get a tough test tonight when they host the San Antonio Spurs. Like the majority of the fans, I would admit that a 3-1 start is nothing to get excited about however the Eastern Conference is so weak that the Magic would just have to go 500. the rest of the way to in theory make the playoffs.
This is a franchise that hasn't seen playoffs since the lockout shortened year in 2011-12. Since then, this team has added strong draft picks such as Aaron Gordon and most recently Jonathan Isaac as well as adding Nikola Vučević through trade in late 2010.
We all know about how good the 76ers might be but are the Magic the team that is on the rise that no one is talking about? In ESPN's first power rankings, they were slated at #24 before taking a modest leap to 19 this week. They can take a bigger leap next week with a win over the Spurs in a game that has to be considered atleast winnable considering that the Spurs might be due for a loss and the fact they aren't the same Spurs team in the Tim Duncan era.
The NBA is a waiting game. Think about it, Golden State was trash before Stephan Curry was drafted. They built around him by adding Klay Thompson and Draymond Green before adding their final piece of the puzzle with Kevin Durant during free agency the summer after losing to Cleveland in the finals in 2016.
Therefore, its never easy to predict when the next monster team will come around. Orlando has two finals appearances and both were with amazing players. In 19955 it was the team with Shaquille O'Neal and in 2009 Dwight Howard doubled the Magic's total with another appearance.
Jonathan Isaac was named one of the steals of the draft last year thanks to the elite players that went before him in last years loaded draft. If the Magic can build on what there putting together, a playoff appearance might be just around the corner.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Thursday, October 26, 2017
The EPL on NBCSN
The animosity of the Premier League is comparable to nothing in sports. In the English Pyramid of soccer, 96 teams fight for positioning trying to beat their previous years result. Some succeed but some fail. Being relegated is painful.
In the whole pyramid, there is only six teams that really have a chance unfortunately. Leicester defined history and won during a year that the powerhouse teams were down. There is usually six more teams that find a way to stay in the PL every year. That leads to eight teams in the PL playing with house money every year. Lately, teams like Aston Villa, Sunderland and Fulham have been stuck in the second tier that have provided chances for small clubs to stay up longer than expected.
We are at the time of the year where the 3pm BST kickoffs are almost evening games. The race to boxing day is closer and closer each week as history is not on your side if your in the relegation zone at Christmas.
Crystal Palace has captivated the neutral fan the last few years and are starting to be desperate for points. A win against West Ham on Saturday looking for a win. Beating Chelsea was good but they need more.
Palace is in survival mode now which is a complete 360 from playing in a FA Cup Final about two years ago. They likely will go down within the next five years but that's the best part about the PL. Everything is chaotic at the bottom of the table. Which makes for compelling soccer.
The Palace and Arsenal games look like the best two games in the middle window. Let me know which game you are most looking forward too.
In the whole pyramid, there is only six teams that really have a chance unfortunately. Leicester defined history and won during a year that the powerhouse teams were down. There is usually six more teams that find a way to stay in the PL every year. That leads to eight teams in the PL playing with house money every year. Lately, teams like Aston Villa, Sunderland and Fulham have been stuck in the second tier that have provided chances for small clubs to stay up longer than expected.
We are at the time of the year where the 3pm BST kickoffs are almost evening games. The race to boxing day is closer and closer each week as history is not on your side if your in the relegation zone at Christmas.
Crystal Palace has captivated the neutral fan the last few years and are starting to be desperate for points. A win against West Ham on Saturday looking for a win. Beating Chelsea was good but they need more.
Palace is in survival mode now which is a complete 360 from playing in a FA Cup Final about two years ago. They likely will go down within the next five years but that's the best part about the PL. Everything is chaotic at the bottom of the table. Which makes for compelling soccer.
The Palace and Arsenal games look like the best two games in the middle window. Let me know which game you are most looking forward too.
| Saturday, October 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 7:30a ETNBCS, NBCU |
England
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| 10:00a ETPLP |
England
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| 10:00a ETNBCU, PLP |
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| 10:00a ETPLP |
England
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| 10:00a ETNBCS |
England
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| 10:00a ETCNBC |
Liverpool, England
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| 12:30p ETNBC, NBCU |
England
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| 9:30a ETNBCS |
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| 12:00p ETNBCS, TELE |
England
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| 4:00p ETNBCS |
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Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Where do the Suns go From Here?
If the Phoenix Suns were in the Eastern Conference, the light would be at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, it isn't and the juggernaut Western Conference is what awaits the Suns this year and for the next several years.
When the Suns unloaded on key players such as Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas in 2015, the Suns vision was for the future. At first I was pessimistic that the formula was going to be successful. At the start, the Suns had something to build around but no franchise players. Eric Bledsoe was decent but never elite and Devon Booker and TJ Waren weren't mature enough yet.
Fast forward two short years and the Suns are still stuck in the mud not able to get out of the bottom of the Western Conference.
Now, five games into the season Eric Bledsoe is on the trading block destined for one of the other 29 cities in the NBA currently. This is a franchise altering move that should have likely happened earlier.
At 27 years old, Bledsoe has a huge upside if traded to the right team. The bigger and also unknown question is, what is his trade value? General consensus seems to lead to 2-3 assets coming back to Phoenix. Right now, the Suns have a log jam at the Power Forward position with both Bender and Chriss not getting much playing time with Waren and Jackson sharing time at the Small Forward position.
The Suns missed an opportunity to get things under control when they drafted two Power Forwards on the same night in 2016 and drafting a Small Forward in Josh Jackson last June. That would up up to four forwards drafted since 2014. This has led to a depth chart of
Not going to make excuses but this lineup is decent but it lacks a defensive leader. Chriss is helpless defensively as he hasn't learned to play defense without fouling. Bender isn't mature enough yet for major minutes and its not a big enough sample size to judge Josh Jackson yet.
If I was the GM this is what I would have done differently. I would have drafted Buddy Hield at #4 in 2016 and drafted De'Aaron Fox in 2017. Drafting a Point Guard last June would have allowed the Suns to trade Bledsoe over the offseason where there might have been more takers as teams were filling holes in their lineups.
My Suns teams lineup would have looked like this:
Not saying that my team would be set to make a run for the NBA Finals this year but I like this depth chart better because there is clarity of who your future PG is which for me is the most important position on the court. With Bledsoe on his way out, where is the clarity?? Having a consistent starting PG is so important in the NBA.
Secondly, drafting Hield at #4 in 2016 would have been my pick. He stayed all four years in college and therefore would have been able to bring in leadership. Furthermore, you can never have enough points on a team generally speaking and having a solid backcourt is important.
Lastly, I get it that Josh Jackson might be better than Fox but I now question how much longer TJ Waren has left in the Purple and Yellow. With Jackson's skill set he seems to be the Small Forward of the future
which then makes Waren's draft pick a questionable one in 2014.
On top of the player saga the Suns also have a new coach at the helm in Jay Triano. This is his second NBA Head Coaching gig after having three losing seasons as the coach of the Raptors almost a decade ago. When you fire a head coach three games into the season, the only other option is to go with an assistant coach. He will be a good fit short term but I have my doubts about his success in the long term.
This is what the Suns are facing and the whole conundrum started when they thought it was a smart idea to start from scratch. Anyone's guess when this team will see the playoffs next but just remember. This isn't the worst pro team in Arizona right now. Not by a long 3 point shot.
When the Suns unloaded on key players such as Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas in 2015, the Suns vision was for the future. At first I was pessimistic that the formula was going to be successful. At the start, the Suns had something to build around but no franchise players. Eric Bledsoe was decent but never elite and Devon Booker and TJ Waren weren't mature enough yet.
Fast forward two short years and the Suns are still stuck in the mud not able to get out of the bottom of the Western Conference.
Now, five games into the season Eric Bledsoe is on the trading block destined for one of the other 29 cities in the NBA currently. This is a franchise altering move that should have likely happened earlier.
At 27 years old, Bledsoe has a huge upside if traded to the right team. The bigger and also unknown question is, what is his trade value? General consensus seems to lead to 2-3 assets coming back to Phoenix. Right now, the Suns have a log jam at the Power Forward position with both Bender and Chriss not getting much playing time with Waren and Jackson sharing time at the Small Forward position.
The Suns missed an opportunity to get things under control when they drafted two Power Forwards on the same night in 2016 and drafting a Small Forward in Josh Jackson last June. That would up up to four forwards drafted since 2014. This has led to a depth chart of
PG
|
SG
|
SF
|
PF
|
C
|
Eric Bledsoe
|
Devon Booker
|
Josh Jackson
|
||
Troy Daniels
|
TJ Waren
|
Alex Len
|
||
Not going to make excuses but this lineup is decent but it lacks a defensive leader. Chriss is helpless defensively as he hasn't learned to play defense without fouling. Bender isn't mature enough yet for major minutes and its not a big enough sample size to judge Josh Jackson yet.
If I was the GM this is what I would have done differently. I would have drafted Buddy Hield at #4 in 2016 and drafted De'Aaron Fox in 2017. Drafting a Point Guard last June would have allowed the Suns to trade Bledsoe over the offseason where there might have been more takers as teams were filling holes in their lineups.
My Suns teams lineup would have looked like this:
PG
|
SG
|
SF
|
PF
|
C
|
Devon Booker
|
Player traded for Eric Bledsoe
|
|
||
Buddy Hield
|
TJ Waren
|
Sign Devensive specialist in FA
|
Alex Len
|
Not saying that my team would be set to make a run for the NBA Finals this year but I like this depth chart better because there is clarity of who your future PG is which for me is the most important position on the court. With Bledsoe on his way out, where is the clarity?? Having a consistent starting PG is so important in the NBA.
Secondly, drafting Hield at #4 in 2016 would have been my pick. He stayed all four years in college and therefore would have been able to bring in leadership. Furthermore, you can never have enough points on a team generally speaking and having a solid backcourt is important.
Lastly, I get it that Josh Jackson might be better than Fox but I now question how much longer TJ Waren has left in the Purple and Yellow. With Jackson's skill set he seems to be the Small Forward of the future
which then makes Waren's draft pick a questionable one in 2014.
On top of the player saga the Suns also have a new coach at the helm in Jay Triano. This is his second NBA Head Coaching gig after having three losing seasons as the coach of the Raptors almost a decade ago. When you fire a head coach three games into the season, the only other option is to go with an assistant coach. He will be a good fit short term but I have my doubts about his success in the long term.
This is what the Suns are facing and the whole conundrum started when they thought it was a smart idea to start from scratch. Anyone's guess when this team will see the playoffs next but just remember. This isn't the worst pro team in Arizona right now. Not by a long 3 point shot.
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