New NBA Rules

            The National Basketball Association has implemented a handful of new rules and are on the verge of adding a few more to the pot. Here’s a look at how the NBA may look different in the next year or two.

            Replay is one area the NBA has recently added to the game and now it is expanding the extent to which it is used. To view all of the details they can be found on NBA.com, but in a nutshell, replay will be used on all initially called flagrant fouls to determine flagrant 1 or 2 as the final outcome of the call, under two minutes all goal tending and charge/blocks in the restricted zone will be reviewed.

            Cons of the added replay rules include possibly extension of game time. The pros include getting accurate calls, especially when it involves players getting potentially thrown out of games and within the last few minutes of a game. Overall the added power of replay is a positive because it SHOULD guarantee the right calls to be made.

            The other major rule that is getting the most buzz that is not official but has received an approval vote from league owners is advertising on game jerseys. Initial reaction from the traditionalist crowd is arguing that it will take away from the look of the game and its tradition. Middle of the road people will say they are fine with it as long as it does not overtake the entire jersey like many European soccer jerseys, just Google Manchester United, Chelsea, or Real Madrid jerseys and you will see that the sponsor is at least five times as large as the team logo. While the more, let’s call them progressive? Crowd is totally fine with it.

            Each argument has valid points, however with the commercialization of society it was only a matter of time until this takes place in not just the NBA but all major sports in the U.S. So why fight it, let it happen, it will ultimately bring more money into the sport allowing for further expansion and ultimately the better well being of the game. Take the Premiere League as an example of success, they have sponsors plastered over the front of their jerseys and it hasn’t turned fans away from the sport, in fact soccer has never been bigger. According to ProFootballTalk.com this past year’s Super Bowl had a record audience of 166.8 million and realistically that number isn’t much higher worldwide. Well the U.S.’s largest sporting event isn’t even half as big worldwide as Premiere League soccer REGULAR SEASON matches. The Manchester United versus Manchester City regular season match this past May recorded an estimated 650 million viewers, according to TheRoar.com.

            Moral of the story? Advertising on jerseys will not ruin the game, if anything it will force the game to get bigger because companies will be pouring even more money into the game, which honestly is something the NBA is in dire need of right now as it is on the verge of a potential glory era with stars like LeBron and Durant emerging and Kobe on the backside of his career. Overall all of the new rules only benefit the NBA which is good news after the lockout debacle last season and the negative press Dwight Howard keeps garnering as of late.

Perspective

            John Wall, 16.6 ppg, 6.5 apg, 4.3 rpg, and 46 fg% in 37 games played. Kyrie Irving, 17.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.4 rpg, and 52 fg% in 11 games played. Both performances by Wall and Irving over the 09-10 and 10-11 seasons respectively earned each the honor of going number one overall the in NBA draft and each have earned just over five million dollars in 2012 and set to earn more over the course of the next several years.

            Now let’s look at player ‘x’, 18.2 ppg, 7.7 apg, 3.7 rpg, 45 fg% in 25 games played, of course if you have been following any of the hoopla, or “Linsanity” as it is most commonly referred to, then you know player ‘x’ is Jeremy Lin.

            Am I saying that Jeremy Lin has the same potential as Wall or Irving? No. Am I saying that he will continue to produce with the same caliber he did during his starting stint? No. What I would like to make very clear is that the contract offered by the Rockets is not as “ridiculous” as Carmelo Anthony and the majority of the media thinks it is.

            Each year the incoming rookies are evaluated on less than forty games played, against other college caliber players, then we dub the top performers of the year as top NBA draft picks, future all-stars, and possibly future hall of famers. And this all makes sense to us, we do it every year, because it is normal. Then comes the abnormality, Jeremy Lin. Because Lin didn’t do it the “traditional” way, his performance is questioned. “How could he get that money with only twenty five games?” “He hasn’t proven himself” etc.

            Lin has played in nearly as many games as most “one and done” college players, with as good or better stats and against NBA players, not college players whom the majority will never sniff NBA playing time.

And yet people question if he really has talent. It’s all about perspective, put him in college with the same numbers, and against lesser talent, and we peg him as a top three draft pick worthy of a big contract no questions asked. And it was originally because Lin played at Harvard, weaker Ivy League competition, that no one thought he had true NBA talent. So why do we continue to second guess him after a stint in the NBA.

Since Lin has had solid playing time in the NBA he has played lights out, remember the potential MVP talk if the Knicks made a run, so let’s cut him some slack and let him receive whatever contract the Rockets want to offer.

Blazers Fromula for Success

Four out of five writers claim the Blazers are contenders on ESPN.com’s article 5-on-5 roundtable, while the Hawks cannot claim a single contender title. Unfortunately for the City of Roses, the writers opinions did not affect the outcome of last night’s game. In a horrendous shooting night, the Blazers came up one three pointer away from going into overtime in Atlanta against the Hawks. 38% from the field and 26% from the three will not win many games in the NBA. As the game progressed there was one key moment when I knew it was not the Blazers night. Just half way through the second quarter Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews were a combined 2-11 shooting and Jamal Crawford just missed a twenty foot jumper that was rebounded by LeMarcus Aldridge only for Aldridge to turn it over during his re-post up move. The Blazers had seven players with at least eight points, however, only three had at least ten and only Crawford and Aldridge had over twenty. There is no superstar offensive player for the Blazers. In an off shooting night like last night, they do not have a Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant or Lebron James that can put the team on their shoulders. That is the Blazers down fall. On the upside the Blazers do have many players that can score the ball and they are well rounded defensively. By no means is there anything major the Blazers should change in their game planning. Only being 8-6 is slightly disappointing, but, there are many games yet to be played. And despite their poor shooting efforts it was only a loss of three points that included grabbing eight more offensive rebounds than the Hawks and getting twenty one more shots off. What needs to be changed is not a game plan or fundamental problem. Instead it is an attitude adjustment. A team as talented as the Blazers losing a close game on the road like last night and half of their losses being single digit losses shows they have not achieved the winner’s mentality. It can stem from coach McMillan or from Aldridge, but just stemming is not enough. It needs to be spread throughout the entire team. If the Blazers can truly get a hold of that winner’s mentality that they are the best team on the court every night, then with their well rounded team, last night as well as last year’s playoff series against the NBA champion Mavericks could both have different outcomes.

Joe Pa's Gotta Go

The recent news of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky at Penn State has now enabled the previously unthinkable. The release of Joe Paterno.

I cannot believe some of the comments I have come across concerning this.
Anyone who thinks that Paterno has nothing to do with does not understand it is his program, it happened under his watch, he did not follow up on the issue and it was his own coaching staff that committed this unforgivable crime.

In a time when programs are being busted by the NCAA year after year it is about time for a program to take control. While Penn State had this opportunity, they dropped the ball like every other program.

Sandusky allegedly raping young boys had been brought up before after there had been an eye witness and nothing was done to bring him to justice. That was Penn States first strike, and it was a big one.

Second strike, releasing a restriction on the media this morning not allowing the press to bring up this issue and only discuss "football" related topics.

Then Pen State shortly after cancels the press conference all together. Strike three.

Not that Penn State needed three strikes. Their first violation is enough to make me outraged.

The worse comment I heard all day was someone calling into the Dan Patrick show and saying that Paterno should not be let go because this does not concern him and is not football related.

Furry. That is all I could feel at this comment. Not only are comments like this not logical they are also not ethical and disrespectful to these victims.

In a time when Jim Tressel is forced out of his head coaching position at Ohio State because his players traded game memorabilia for tattoo's and Paterno should stay after an assistant coach under him has raped underage boys. The president has been set and Paterno's last hours are or at least should be ticking away.

It does not matter how long Paterno has been at Penn or what he means to the program, for something like this to happen under his watch and for him to not go to authorities with it but do the bare minimum to get it off of his hands is unacceptable as a head coach and a human being.

It is too late for Penn State to recover their image but they could at least get this one right and let go of Paterno with no strings attached. The president for violations not nearly as worse as this has been set and their is no question about it, Joe Pa's gotta go.

Raiders Go All In

The Oakland Raiders are not rolling over. Losing Jason Campbell is not going to slow down the silver and black on their quest for a playoff berth. But the question is, are they putting all their eggs in one basket?

Less than 48 hours after the injury of Jason Campbell the Raiders have drawn Carson Palmer out of his premature "retirement" in a trade with the Bengals.

Palmer has been an exceptional QB in the past putting up solid numbers and making the Bengals a team that you could not overlook. It is hard to tell if this move will indeed benefit the Raiders with so many questions revolving around this move.

Potentially two first round picks for Palmer.
There are several problems with this, the Raiders traded away two draft picks, one first round pick in the 2012 draft and a conditional pick in 2013 that can go as high as a first round. If Palmer takes the Raiders to the playoffs it can be seen as a worthwhile trade. But if too much rust has covered his throwing arm, then what?

What happens next year.
Are we going to see another QB controversy when Campbell is healthy enough to return. And if Palmer is not up to par and the Raiders record slips then they will not even have the plus side of coming away with a quality first round pick.

The Bengals definitely got the better end of this deal. Two draft picks, at least one a first rounder for a player that was never going to take another snap for your team. Talk about capitalizing on another teams misfortune. On the flip side though the Raiders had to do something, they are only a half game out of first place in the division and have been playing well rounded football.

Palmer will be a little rusty but he is a pure passer and can sling it down field to those speedy receivers the Raiders are in love with. As long as McFadden continues to run hard look for the Raiders make a run for the division and hope the loss of those two picks or a potential QB controversy don't bite them later on.

NBA Updates

The NBA is very lucky that the NFL season started without a hitch. Of course even if the NFL was still in lockout they would currently be receiving the majority of the criticism.

November 1st is closing in fast and still there appears to be nothing positive to report. Instead we are stuck with more negative news from the league.

According to NBA.com training camps have been postponed indefinitely and 43 preseason games scheduled through October 15th have been canceled.

Honestly I am partially okay with this. I would rather lose more of the NBA preseason than the NFL preseason because I do not believe basketball players need as long of a preseason they are already given to prepare for a 82 game season.

And I did tell a white lie. Well I did if you count this as good news. Jay-Z has announced the official name change of the Nets to the Brooklyn Nets instead of New Jersey. And he will have multiple concerts in the new Barclay Center.

Be prepared to see Knicks fans jumping over to root for the Nets despite the Knicks still hoping to improve with the late addition of Carmelo Anthony.

Unless your a Jay-Z fan or at least live in the Brooklyn area there is not much reason to be hopefully about the 2011-2012 NBA season yet.

Musical Conferences

The Pac-10 became the Pac-12, TCU decided to move to a BCS conference in the Big East, Nebraska shifted to the Big 10, Texas A&M is leaving for the SEC, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are swapping to the ACC.

These are all the official shifts that have occurred in the past year alone. Not to startle you but this could be the calm before the storm.

Now there is talk of a Pac-16, a merger between the Big East and Big 12 and the biggest shocker, Notre Dame finally breaking down and entering a conference. Although the Pac-12 voted against expanding any further they can just as easily vote to expand.

There are two scenarios that can play out from these potential “mega” conferences. The first is the BCS bowl system will be solidified and the second is that a playoff is inevitable.

The argument can arise that since there might end up being roughly four mega conferences that a playoff will not be needed because the top teams will already be at the top of their conferences and will be selected to play for the BCS championship.

The stronger of the two arguments is the second. If it were worked down to only four conferences and each already had their own conference championship games then from there you can put together a four team playoff.

For those of you sentimentalists do not worry. They can still easily keep the bowls in place. The four big bowls can be considered the conference championship games. For example the Pac-16 championship will always be the Rose Bowl while the SEC can have their championship game be the Sugar Bowl, the ACC can have the Orange Bowl, and whichever fourth and possibly fifth conference can use the Cotton and Tostitos Bowls.

Overall the changing of the conferences means little to me unless it provokes a change in postseason play, however, however it would be nice if everyone could settle down pick a conference so we can focus on the field and not conference politics.