I Was Right For Once!

http://youmakethecalls.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html
I made this prediction last summer, and now it is coming to fruition! I said that Ridnour, Felton, Lowry, were better options than signing Steve Blake! Ridnour is shooting a torrid pace from three and is balling in his starting spot. He is a keeper for the money he is getting. His PER is only 15.97, which isn't great, but look at his contract ($4m). Felton has dropped off a little, but is still performing well at a 17.41 PER with high assist numbers (I know that Amar'e is helping a lot, but he is still killing). He is also getting paid more ($7m), but has more upside. Lowry is playing great defense, which the Lakers need, has a 15.05 PER and is getting paid ($5.75m).

And back to Blake. He doesn't have much of a role, but he isn't necessarily filling it well. I like the guy, and I think he could eventually be a good triangle guy, but in about 20 minutes, he is averaging a 7.60 PER, easily the lowest of his life. He is getting paid $4m, which is on the low end, but about in line with the guys we're talking about. I decided to go into the numbers, and discovered that several Lakers dropped in PER in their first season in the triangle. Ron Artest has been on a decline for a few years, and in LA, his responsibilities shrunk. The same story with Pau, although his 24 PER the previous year was a high and he only dropped a little below his average before getting back to that level last year. Same story for Lamar. Matt Barnes is the only significant Laker to get better in his first year. But still, those guys dropped organically, and Steve's fallout has been precipitous.

I don't know that Steve will turn out badly for LA, but I don't know that he is a solution. I understand that the Lakers are thinking short-term, but I think they could have a lot better for the money (at least Ridnour). I think I was right, but you make the call.

Nolan Smith: Bringing Showtime To Duke | ThePostGame

Nolan Smith: Bringing Showtime To Duke | ThePostGame

This is a great original number on the reason the Dukies are having so much success this year. It really captures the Duke that a lot of people don't see in the games. I love seeing great basketball players having fun, playing with emotion and intensity. I love how the reporter went behind the scenes and really got a story instead of just telling us what we can all see on SportsCenter.

I admit that I am a Duke homer and believe that they can have a lot of success this year (even without Kyrie), from an unbiased fan's point of view, this is still a great article. It also shows how the greatest coach in the modern era can learn new things and evolve with the game. I really think coaching Team USA helped Mike, both from a coaching perspective (getting to know different philosophies and different players), but also from a basketball culture perspective, getting to know the kids he might still be coaching, getting in an atmosphere were he is forced to cater to the players a bit more than at Duke. I'm not saying that he was out of touch before, but I think being with Kevin, Lamar, Russell, Derrick, and company this summer helped him see lots of playing perspectives from first year guys to veterans. And I think he brought a lot of that experience home and it has helped his players reach a new level. And you know what? It's cool to see a hall of fame guy that could have gone out doing things his way become even better.

What can I say? I love Duke. But they are playing well, and you make the call.

Super Bowl 45 Review, Packers def. Steelers

Yes, yes. The game was over a week ago, and I'm barely getting to it? I wanted to take a week to think about it and process all the information and try to come up with something original. And I've had some computer difficulties the last couple of days. Or in other words, I was too busy to really write high-quality stuff, so I didn't write anything at all.

Here are my thoughts: