Carl Landry In, David West Out

David West will be gone for the duration of the season with a torn left ACL suffered Thursday in Utah.

Analysis: Losing David West is huge. 19 points, 7 boards, a block, a steal and great percentages from the power forward position is just great but now it’s gone. Enter Carl Landry, owned in just under 50% of fantasy leagues nationwide and a beast of a fantasy player last year with the Rockets and Kings. He’ll step in for the injured West and he should do just fine. Last year he averaged 17 PPG, 6 RPG while shooting over 80% from the stripe and over 50% from the floor. Yes, there will be a drop off in performance but inserting Landry into your lineup make the most sense. You’ll lose just a little in every category as opposed to a lot in two or three. Landry is quite an efficient player with a career free throw percentage of 77%, absolutely great from a power forward. As long as his minutes are there and they should be, the steals and blocks should be just enough of a contribution to keep him around.

Projection: If he can get 28 minutes or more a night as the starter, he’s money. Expect 14 PPG, 5 RPG with some great field goal and free throw percentages the rest of the season. Be patient the first few games, he hasn’t been the great fit with the Hornets he was expected to be. Let the chemistry develop.

What city has the worst pro sports teams?

I am sure many folks would love to  recommend their own city for this honor, but the choice is clear.

My own hometown of Washington DC has the worst pro franchises in the country. For the sake of argument, we will leave the NHL out. There are two reasons for this; its the least popular of the big four and Washington’s hockey team is quite good.

Don’t get me wrong, I wish the District had solid pro franchises, but as we sit, right now, they do not. Looking at the current NBA season, the upcoming NFL (maybe) and MLB seasons, winning is not, nor will be a regular occurrence.

Where should we start? Lets start with the Washington Wizards since they are currently engaged in regular season play. We start at the top with the owner Ted Leonsis. Leonsis assumed  ownership of the team less than a year ago. I will give Leonsis credit, he is biting the bullet as the club is undergoing a total rebuild. Gone are the contracts of Brendan Hawyood, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and most recently Gilbert Arenas. The team’s PR efforts have been lauding the “Six first round picks” from the 2010 and upcoming 2011 drafts. John Wall and this year’s high lottery pick are legit, but lets face it, late round selections are far from a certainty.  The Wizards rebuild stalled in 2009 when the team traded the 5th pick overall to Minnesota for Randy Foy and Mike Miller. A steep price for a one year rental of both. With that pick, the team could have added names like Brandon Jennings or Stephen Curry to name two. If Washington is fortunate enough to land Arizona forward Derek Williams or North Carolina forward Harrison Barnes this summer they will be on their way. With lots of cap room the future looks bright, but its going to be a while. Back to back to back high lottery picks says it all.

Baseball spring training is winding down and everyone has hope, right?  No. Any hope of a Cinderella season went out the window when pitcher Stephen Strasburg underwent Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his billion dollar arm. What did the Nationals do in the off-season? They signed a 31 year outfielder to a 126-million, seven year contract. Hey, a nice gesture and certainly a golden parachute for the Werth family, but wow!  There is no salary cap in baseball, so I guess its not that bad.  The team is owned by the Lerner family, real estate tycoons for generations in the DC area. The ExposNationals were owned by Major League Baseball from 2002 to 2006 until the Lerner’s took full control. Are we on a five year plan? If so, this is the year! Seriously, the current owners took over a disastrous situation and a very long term plan continues. Outfielder Bryce Harper is at least a year away and brings hope not unlike Strasburg. Kudos for efforts to bring in Zac Greinke in the off season, but puzzling the reluctance to resign the very popular and productive Adam Dunn. After back to back years having the #1 overall pick in the Amateur draft, the Nats will be picking sixth in June. I guess that’s progress.

Last, the beloved Washington Redskins. Most want to point the finger at owner Dan Snyder. Horror stories are well documented, but its not all his fault. I am sure franchises with cheap owners would love to  have a free spending billionaire ala Steinbrenner controlling the team’s budget. What I do not understand is the total disregard for the NFL draft. I realize it worked under the legendary George Allen, I watched it myself as a kid. But free agency has changed the game, and the Skins have been the #1 customer. Lets talk about the now. We start at quarterback, where the team gave away Jason Campbell for a quickly aging  Donovan McNabb (34). The Skins also gave up even more premiere draft picks to acquire a 30 year old right  tackle (Jamaal Brown) who was coming off a injury filled season. Now, the Redskins enter the 2011 draft like a donut (nothing in the middle). The team has no quarterback, needs running backs, receivers and interior lineman. The defense you ask?  Well, 31st in the NFL last season led by Albert Haynesworth. Well, not really as he doesn’t like the coach, the scheme, only the pay checks.  Fortunately, Brian Orakpo fell in their lap two years ago and Laron Landry is a quality strong safety. DeAngelo Hall had a fine season, but London Fletcher will soon hit the wall and there are plenty of holes to  fill.  First in War, First in Peace, last in the NFC East… again.

College Football: Three More Unanswered Questions

Will Georgia turn their program around? This will be UGA’s second year in the 3-4 defense and while losing AJ Green and Justin Houston to the NFL hurts, a top five recruiting class will ease the pain. After much speculation on whether star running back Washaun Ealey would transfer, head coach Mark Richt has lifted his suspension and he is practicing with the team again. This gives Georgia a great 1-2-3 punch at tail back with Ealey, Caleb King and incoming freshman stud Isaiah Crowell(get to know Isaiah). Sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray looked stellar as a freshman throwing 24 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. He is poised to become the best quarterback in the SEC in the not too distant future. The biggest matchups on the Bulldog’s schedule are Boise State at the Georgia Dome to open up the season followed by a week two contest at home with reigning SEC East champs South Carolina. Georgia as always plays Florida in Jacksonville in late October. The Dawgs do not have to play national title contenders Alabama or LSU this year unless it is in the SEC Championship so a 6-2 showing in the SEC is very realistic. Be on the lookout for Alec Ogletree who is moving to inside linebacker after playing safety in high school and keep an eye on strong safety Bacarri Rambo who will lead the defense this year.

Can Nebraska win the Big 10 in its first year in the conference? At this point all signs point to yes. The Cornhuskers get Ohio State at home in Terrelle Pryor, Boom Herron and DeVier Posey’s first game back from suspensions. After some transfer rumors quarterback Taylor Martinez is still the man and he can only improve after a superb freshman year. Although he was banged up the majority of 2010 he still passed for over 1,600 yards and ran for 965 more. Nebraska immediately sports the best defense in the Big 10 with NFL prospects like cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, linebacker Lavonte David, cornerback Ciante Evans and defensive tackle Jared Crick. They have the deepest and most talented secondary in the country(sorry Bama). The Huskers do not have to play Wisconsin but they do have to pay visits to Penn State who don’t know who their quarterback is yet and Michigan who just don’t have the athletes on the defensive side of the ball to make a run. Expect to see a Nebraska-Ohio State rematch in the Big 10 championship this year unless Wisconsin can defeat the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe in late October.

Can Oklahoma reach the BCS title game? If I had to rank the top three teams right now it would be 1- Alabama, 2- Oregon/LSU winner September 3rd, and 3- Stanford. Oklahoma would be a close fourth with Heisman candidate quarterback Landry Jones and wide out Ryan Broyles. Remember, this year the Big 12 loses its championship game and goes to a round robin nine game conference schedule. The key games for OU are an early season matchup at Florida State, an early October matchup with Texas and at Oklahoma State to end the regular season. Texas A&M is a program on the rise and the Sooners cannot overlook the Aggies. The Sooners would have to run the table because there is no chance a one loss Oklahoma gets a BCS title nod over a one loss SEC team, a one loss PAC 12 team or an undefeated TCU or Boise State who play each other November 12th. There are some questions on the defensive side of the ball but Travis Lewis, Jamell Fleming and Frank Alexander return for their senior seasons to lead what should be one of the best defenses in a very weak Big 12 this year. They can run the table but they are far from a national juggernaut.

March Madness Countdown to Eight… Four

 

If you are like me, your bracket was toast long ago. Even with nearly as many losses as wins, March Madness couldn’t be any more enjoyable! We have a great mix of traditional powers, Cinderella stories and future NBA stars.

We get four games tonight, and another four tomorrow (Friday) night which whittles the field down to the Elite Eight. I am not going to bother picking winners, as one thing I have learned from this tournament, expect the unexpected.

Tonight (Thursday)

West Region/Honda Center-Anaheim, California

It all tips off tonight with home favorite San Diego State hosting Connecticut in Southern California. Aztec coach Steve Fisher has returned to the limelight with a large role in the ESPN documentary “The Fab Five” where he reminisced as the ringleader of the very talented Michigan Wolverines team of the early 90’s. The program debuted immediately following Selection Sunday giving it a tremendous target audience. Now, Coach Fisher has guided San Diego State into the Elite  Eight. By now, you have seen Aztec forward Kawhi Leonard. Leonard was one of the top players in Los Angeles in high school, and has been the catalyst Fisher needed. The Huskies carry the torch as one of only two remaining team of eleven that qualified from the beleaguered Big East. U Conn has a  superstar of its own in guard Kemba Walker who has been performing like a player of the year candidate since the late Fall.

Also in Anaheim, a beast from the East, defending national champion Duke meeting the Pac 10’s last man standing Arizona. The Wildcats could be fueled by a regional crowd, expecially if potential #1 overall NBA draft pick forward Derrick Williams can keep the ‘cats close. The Blue Devils have been  focused since  capturing the ACC tournament and have recieved a major spark with the return of injured guard Kyrie Erving, who had been out for much of the season.

Southeast Regional/New Orleans Arena-New Orleans, Louisiana

Will Butler make another surprise visit to the Final Four? Last season could have been considered an aberration, but if they make it again, they might be onto something. The improbable win over Pittsburgh with a more improbable  ending is one we will see replayed for the ages. Matt Howard no longer has his side kick Gordon Hayward who has moved on to  the NBA, but back to back buzzer beaters has Butler living on the edge. Wisconsin was not a sexy pick to reach the Sweet Sixteen. The most popular upset pick in the first round had Belmont knocking off the Badgers. So far, so good- winning Wisconsin basketball, even  if their coach doesn’t like that references to their ugly, defensive slow style.

Florida is next in line to try and halt the Jimmer Express. BYU and the high scoring Fredette blew out a solid Gonzaga team to reach the Big Easy. So far, the predictions of gloom and doom for the Cougars without suspended forward Brandon Davies hasn’t surfaced. The Gators come in white hot, Florida on a roll through the end of SEC play and conference tournament has coach Billy Donovan looking for a third trip to the Final Four. If the loss of BYU’s best big Davies is going to be felt, the Gators dynamic front line will put it to the test.

Tomorrow (Friday)

East Region/Prudential Center-Newark, New Jersey

In what I maintain is the toughest region, North Carolina gets it started, taking on Big East rep Marquette. The Tar Heels were rolling down the stretch until an awakening in the ACC tournament final loss to Duke. The Tar Heels survived Michigan and now get double digit seed Marquette who tries to save face for the Big East. The marquee match up of the Sweet Sixteen also takes place in Newark, as the #1 overall seed, Ohio State takes on the latest fab freshman group from Kentucky. In a downright demolition of George Mason, the Buckeyes appeared unbeatable.

Southwest Region/Alamadome-San Antonio, Texas

Its an unexpected Richmond reunion at the Alamodome as a pair of double digit seeds from Virginia’s state capital, Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth are but one game away from meeting face to face in the Elite Eight.  Richmond faces its toughest test yet as they take on #1 seed Kansas. The Jayhawks, led by the Morris twins, Marcus and Markeith, are considered by many the favorite to win it all.  VCU takes on Florida State, with the Seminoles one of three ACC teams (of four) still dancing. Notre Dame was expected to arrive, but FSU added lights out shooting to a stingy defense in an easy win over the Fighting Irish.

The winners meet this weekend, which will bring us to the Final Four.

The 2011 Final Four will be held next Saturday and Monday, at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas

Hump is Playing the Best Basketball of his Life

Kris Humphries has been up and down for years now, mostly down, but he has finally figured out the game of basketball in recent weeks.

Analysis: Humphries has always been a solid per minute rebounder, but was never able to do enough other things to keep himself on the court. He was prone to fits where he thought he could score like Jordan, but this obviously wasn’t the case. Playing with a great point guard, in Deron Williams, seems to have revitalized his career. In his last 10 games Hump is shooting 55% from the field, putting up 15 points a game, and ripping down 16 boards a game. These numbers are pretty damn impressive, especially when you consider his career numbers. Hump has averaged an unimpressive 4.6 boards and 5.6 points a game on his career. This season was already an improvement with Hump averaging just shy of a double double every game, but his recent play makes him a must have fantasy option (at least for now). When you throw in the fact that he’s averaging 2 blocks a game in his last 10 games stretch Hump has a lot of value to offer your team. I think there are two significant factors that are finally allowing Hump to blossom. The first is playing with one of the best point guards in the league, and the second is the simple nature of finally getting enough minutes to put up some stats. He has averaged 39 minutes per game in his last 10 games.

Projection: As long as Deron is in New Jersey and Hump doesn’t start trying to do too much he is a great fantasy option. Ride the Hump, at least for now.