Damn...The Terps almost pulled off consecutive wins versus two Top 5 teams, not to mention two of their biggest rivals! Things looked very positive for the Terps when they led by nine points at halftime. However, Duke still had 42 points to the Terps 51. If somebody had told me before the game that Duke would score 42 points in the first half, I wouldn't be thrilled. Maryland had their best offensive half of the year against Duke, but they still weren't shuttnig down the Devils. And history has told us that Duke is always capable of hitting a big shot when it counts, or more likely...getting a bogus call in their direction late in the game.
Gist and Osby were huge for the Terps down low. Duke is extremely weak in the front court, and the Terrapin seniors took advantage of that. Gist had 26 and 5 while Osby had 20 and 15 on the night. Those numbers are absolutely huge. Unfortunately Maryland didn't get much help from the bigs on their bench. Shane Walker had a rebound and Dave Neal had just a bucket and a board. This was the first game of the year that Braxton Dupree didn't see the floor, and I'm not surprised by that with Duke's type of play. BD isn't in good enough shape to run up and down the floor all night, and he isn't quick enough on defense to play against Duke's four guard lineups. Whats upsetting is that Dupree was supposed to be the 3rd big man on this team, and his minutes have been 12, 6, 8, 1, and 0 so far in ACC play. Thats not a good looking trend! He hasn't shown that he is ready to be a contributor on this team.
Despite the loss it feels better to be a Terps fan now than it was a month ago. A month ago today Maryland was 6-6 after losing to American University by eight. PATHETIC! It felt like everybody who followed Maryland basketball was ready to quit on this current team and crucify Gary Williams. In the last month Maryland has gone 6-2 with a win over the previously undefeated and #1 ranked Tarheels. Their two losses were unfortunately both in conference, but by a point to Virginia Tech and to the #3 ranked Duke. This has certainly been a good month for the Terps, and it would be for any other college basketball team too. Unfortunately the hole that the Terps are climbing out of is huge. At 2-3 in the ACC, they need to win about 7 or 8 more conference games to have any shot at the NCAA tourny. 19 or 20 wins with an upset of a potential #1 seed might get them into the tournament. However, that is still questionable with losses to teams like Ohio and American.
Like most people thought, the Terps will be a better team at the end of the year than they were to start it. However, with such an unpredictable lousy stretch to begin the year, will this team be good enough to have an overall positive season. The UNC win is certainly a highlight to be remembered for years, but will that be the only redeeming memory of this season? A win over Carolina and an extremely competitive loss to a Duke team that played well tonight give me hope that the Terps have yet to peak this season.
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wizards' Draft
The NBA draft has come and once again I am not impressed with what the Wizards have done. With the 16th pick in the draft they selected Nick Young. He is a SG from USC, who I admit I don't know a lot about. Atleast he has put up good numbers throughout his college career and appears to have been highly rated. He is described as having the classic basketball body, tall and lean with long arms. However, from what I've read his motivation in college has been questioned. Cons about his game have dealt with his effort on defense and when he doesn't have the ball. That doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement. This seems like the Wizards still feel that scoring 105 every night is the best way to make a winning team, even if they can't stop anybody on defense.
I also don't know much about Dominic McGuire. While his stats in college have improved as he went through school, they aren't that impressive. He had 3.7 TOs per game last season at Fresno State. He appears to rebound well and block shots, but his offensive game is described as underdeveloped. He is another guy who seems to be well rated because of his athleticism, but doesn't have the skills to match. He is also listed around 6-8 or 6-9, with a weight of 210-220. That doesn't sound like a bruiser to me. With the uninspiring play of the Haywood/Thomas tandem at center in 2006-2007, I would have thought the Wizards would have addressed that need better.
In addition to the flaws in each of these players games that I read about, I also just don't trust the Wizards because of their draft history. The last great draft pick they had was Rip Hamilton in 1999, and he was only given 3 years to play in DC.
Recently the Wiz have chosen...
2006 - Oleksiy Pecherov and Vladimir Veremeenko - Both have yet to play for the team...hell I don't know if either of them has even been in the country yet.
2005 - Andray Blatche - He was a prep schooler taken in the second round, so he is undeveloped and still has time to grow. Although he has only averaged 3.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in his first 2 seasons, without really cracking the rotation.
2004 - Devin Harris and Peter John Ramos - Devin Harris was a good pick, but he was essentially picked by Dallas in order for the trade for Antawn Jamison to go through. PJR scored a total of 11 points with the Wizards.
2003 - Jarvis Hayes and Steve Blake - Hayes has been a disappointment for a # 10 pick. He has averaged 8.9 points and 3.4 rebounds for his career, and simply has not gotten better from year to year. He is what he is, and its nothing special. Blake was a good second rounde choice. He is a good backup/part time starter at PG. His numbers aren't huge, but he was 7th in the NBA last year in assist to TO ratio. That certainly isn't a bad thing to have on your bench, but the Wizards didn't think Blake was worth keeping.
2002 - Jared Jeffries, Juan Dixon, Rod Grizzard, and Juan Navarro - Jared Jeffries looks like he will never average double figures in the NBA, and his rebounding isn't great for a big guy. He truly has been a disappointment for a lottery pick. Juan Dixon has better scoring numbers than more highly touted picks Hayes, Jeffries, and Brown. Atleast with Dixon you knew you were getting a guy who would bust his ass on the floor. He is a decent bench guy, but the Wizards and him went their separate ways. Grizzard was waived before playing in an NBA game, and has yet to do so. Navarro seems to be a great player, but apparently he has no wish to come to the US.
2001 - Kwame Brown and Bobby Simmons - Everybody knows about Kwame. His potential right now seems to be a 10 and 8 type of guy over the course of a season. His pick wouldn't be bad if he was chosen late in the 1st or in the 2nd, but for a number one overall guy he has been a huge disappointment. The 2-4 picks in that draft were Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, and Eddy Curry, who have all been better players so far then Kwame. Bobby Simmons actually averagd over 16 points one year for the Clippers, but he never averaged 4 ppg in his first two years for the Wizards. Not a bad 2nd round choice, but didn't show his talent in Washington.
That recent history has been abysmal. Only Jarvis Hayes started for the Wizards this past year, and he couldn't keep that status for most of the year. None of their early picks have been great, and their later picks have had a few misses just like everybody else. Only two of their draftees played for the Wizards this year, Hayes and Blatche, and their futures aren't exactly going to be stellar with Washington. While the Wizards have created a good team through free agency and trades, they certainly have not taken advantage of the draft. While I hope for the best for Nick Young and Dominic McGuire, something is telling me that these two guys will be like most of the rest. They will toil along with the Wizards for several years without truly making a mark.
I also don't know much about Dominic McGuire. While his stats in college have improved as he went through school, they aren't that impressive. He had 3.7 TOs per game last season at Fresno State. He appears to rebound well and block shots, but his offensive game is described as underdeveloped. He is another guy who seems to be well rated because of his athleticism, but doesn't have the skills to match. He is also listed around 6-8 or 6-9, with a weight of 210-220. That doesn't sound like a bruiser to me. With the uninspiring play of the Haywood/Thomas tandem at center in 2006-2007, I would have thought the Wizards would have addressed that need better.
In addition to the flaws in each of these players games that I read about, I also just don't trust the Wizards because of their draft history. The last great draft pick they had was Rip Hamilton in 1999, and he was only given 3 years to play in DC.
Recently the Wiz have chosen...
2006 - Oleksiy Pecherov and Vladimir Veremeenko - Both have yet to play for the team...hell I don't know if either of them has even been in the country yet.
2005 - Andray Blatche - He was a prep schooler taken in the second round, so he is undeveloped and still has time to grow. Although he has only averaged 3.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in his first 2 seasons, without really cracking the rotation.
2004 - Devin Harris and Peter John Ramos - Devin Harris was a good pick, but he was essentially picked by Dallas in order for the trade for Antawn Jamison to go through. PJR scored a total of 11 points with the Wizards.
2003 - Jarvis Hayes and Steve Blake - Hayes has been a disappointment for a # 10 pick. He has averaged 8.9 points and 3.4 rebounds for his career, and simply has not gotten better from year to year. He is what he is, and its nothing special. Blake was a good second rounde choice. He is a good backup/part time starter at PG. His numbers aren't huge, but he was 7th in the NBA last year in assist to TO ratio. That certainly isn't a bad thing to have on your bench, but the Wizards didn't think Blake was worth keeping.
2002 - Jared Jeffries, Juan Dixon, Rod Grizzard, and Juan Navarro - Jared Jeffries looks like he will never average double figures in the NBA, and his rebounding isn't great for a big guy. He truly has been a disappointment for a lottery pick. Juan Dixon has better scoring numbers than more highly touted picks Hayes, Jeffries, and Brown. Atleast with Dixon you knew you were getting a guy who would bust his ass on the floor. He is a decent bench guy, but the Wizards and him went their separate ways. Grizzard was waived before playing in an NBA game, and has yet to do so. Navarro seems to be a great player, but apparently he has no wish to come to the US.
2001 - Kwame Brown and Bobby Simmons - Everybody knows about Kwame. His potential right now seems to be a 10 and 8 type of guy over the course of a season. His pick wouldn't be bad if he was chosen late in the 1st or in the 2nd, but for a number one overall guy he has been a huge disappointment. The 2-4 picks in that draft were Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, and Eddy Curry, who have all been better players so far then Kwame. Bobby Simmons actually averagd over 16 points one year for the Clippers, but he never averaged 4 ppg in his first two years for the Wizards. Not a bad 2nd round choice, but didn't show his talent in Washington.
That recent history has been abysmal. Only Jarvis Hayes started for the Wizards this past year, and he couldn't keep that status for most of the year. None of their early picks have been great, and their later picks have had a few misses just like everybody else. Only two of their draftees played for the Wizards this year, Hayes and Blatche, and their futures aren't exactly going to be stellar with Washington. While the Wizards have created a good team through free agency and trades, they certainly have not taken advantage of the draft. While I hope for the best for Nick Young and Dominic McGuire, something is telling me that these two guys will be like most of the rest. They will toil along with the Wizards for several years without truly making a mark.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Pick Up Basketball
I was looking through the Washington City Paper, a free "alternative" newspaper for DC. They always have a small sports column, that usually focuses on something besides the traditional sports stories covered by cable programs or the newspapers. I read the column by Dave McKenna about pick up basektball in DC. He wrote about seeing a game of "loser's out" at a playground in the city. He was appalled that loser's out was played in DC, where winner's out has always been the rule. Growing up in a suburb of DC, it was always winners ball. Loser's out was described as a white way to play the game, but in my majority white community we always played winners.
When we wouldn't have enough players for a true game, we would always play 21. The idea behind the game is every person for themself. 2 points for a field goal and 1 for a free throw. Free throws were earned by making a bucket, and after 3 made free throws, you had to check it up and play ball. Gettinn tapped meant you lost all of your points, and if you didn't hit 21 exactly, you dropped down to 13.
McKenna mentions in the article how 21 was the suburban(white) game, while 33 was the city(black) way of playing it. I remember playing 33 when I was a kid, but it was predominantly 21. I probably played 33 when I went to basketball camp, where kids from other neighborhoods all came together to play ball. When I was 13 my family moved from the DC area to the Baltimore area. In Baltimore they played 50(both black and white). 21 or 33 never came up.
This was an interesting article because it discussed some of the differences in pick up ball between different groups of people and areas. It would be interesting to me to hear from other people who might have other variances on pick up ball in different places they have played.
When we wouldn't have enough players for a true game, we would always play 21. The idea behind the game is every person for themself. 2 points for a field goal and 1 for a free throw. Free throws were earned by making a bucket, and after 3 made free throws, you had to check it up and play ball. Gettinn tapped meant you lost all of your points, and if you didn't hit 21 exactly, you dropped down to 13.
McKenna mentions in the article how 21 was the suburban(white) game, while 33 was the city(black) way of playing it. I remember playing 33 when I was a kid, but it was predominantly 21. I probably played 33 when I went to basketball camp, where kids from other neighborhoods all came together to play ball. When I was 13 my family moved from the DC area to the Baltimore area. In Baltimore they played 50(both black and white). 21 or 33 never came up.
This was an interesting article because it discussed some of the differences in pick up ball between different groups of people and areas. It would be interesting to me to hear from other people who might have other variances on pick up ball in different places they have played.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Georgetown Wins One and Loses One
Georgetown had a great basketball season in 06-07, largely in thanks to the play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert. I think they would have been frontrunners for the National Championship next season if both guys came back next season, because Ohio State lost Oden and Conley, while Florida's starting 5 are all gone. Yesterday it was announced that Hibbert will return for another year while Jeff Green will enter the draft. While it certainly won't help Georgetown to lose the current Big East POY, it seems to be a good decision by both players.
Green is ready for the NBA. From what I've seen in draft write-ups, experts think he will go between 10 and 20 in the draft. While I think it would be more advantageous for a player to come out next year instead of now because of the Oden-Durant effect, Green's game doesn't have a ton of room for improvement. He is a polished player who is likely to have a similar draft potential next year as well. He can handle getting minutes off of the bench in the NBA next season, and won't have to risk getting hurt in college before his pay day.
Hibbert is a slightly different story. While some people have him ranked higher on draft charts than Green, he still has more room to develop than Jeff. He has a lot of skill for a guy his size, but he wouldn't be able to get away with a lot of his moves with the athletic big men in the NBA. Another year in school will provide him with a chance to hone his skills while getting stronger. The possibility of earning National POY will also increase his exposure before next year's draft. I don't think there are a combination like Oden and Durant who will be draft eligible next season, so Hibbert will also have less competition next season for a top draft spot.
Both of these guys seem like quality guys and quality players. Its great to see two Maryland high school products get the chance to star close to home, and also move on to the Pro level. Either one would probably be successful with any decision they made, but I think they both chose well for where they are right now.
Green is ready for the NBA. From what I've seen in draft write-ups, experts think he will go between 10 and 20 in the draft. While I think it would be more advantageous for a player to come out next year instead of now because of the Oden-Durant effect, Green's game doesn't have a ton of room for improvement. He is a polished player who is likely to have a similar draft potential next year as well. He can handle getting minutes off of the bench in the NBA next season, and won't have to risk getting hurt in college before his pay day.
Hibbert is a slightly different story. While some people have him ranked higher on draft charts than Green, he still has more room to develop than Jeff. He has a lot of skill for a guy his size, but he wouldn't be able to get away with a lot of his moves with the athletic big men in the NBA. Another year in school will provide him with a chance to hone his skills while getting stronger. The possibility of earning National POY will also increase his exposure before next year's draft. I don't think there are a combination like Oden and Durant who will be draft eligible next season, so Hibbert will also have less competition next season for a top draft spot.
Both of these guys seem like quality guys and quality players. Its great to see two Maryland high school products get the chance to star close to home, and also move on to the Pro level. Either one would probably be successful with any decision they made, but I think they both chose well for where they are right now.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Baseball is On...Everything else is Off
At this time of year there really isn't much going on in sports in this area besides baseball. The biggest news recently in local football is that Clinton Portis thinks its acceptable to hold dog fights on private property...even if it is a felony. Clinton should have went with a "No Comment!" when asked about Mike Vick, and went on planning what he will do during his weekly news conferences this fall.
The Ravens are having a mostly quiet offseason...except for Steve McNair getting into a little trouble with his brother in law. Can't wait to see if Willis McGahee can really bring some explosion back to Baltimore's running game.
I watched the NBA Draft Lottery last night expecting to see the Wizards represented. With the way they finished their season, they felt like a lottery team. The Wizards greatly need an impact player, especially down low. Hopefully they can find that player outside the lottery, and don't keep drafting projects like Andray Blatche and the 2 Russian guys they selected and haven't even signed yet from 2006. The Zards are a playoff team, and need help now...not 5 years down the road. I'd much rather have a solid player who has proven himself in the NCAA than a guy who is playing in some obscure foreign league or not living up to his potential in college.
The Nats are proving to be irrelevant this year. Even with their winning ways of late, they are still 5.5 games behind the 4th place NL East Phillies. Ryan Zimmerman has been heating up lately, but nobody else on that team really interests me much.
The Orioles lost to the Jays again last night. O's are really bumming me out right now with how they are playing, because each loss seems to be by just 1 or 2 runs. They are capable of winning these games, but are really not coming through in tough spots. Particularly disappointing is Miguel Tejada. Not only is he not hitting homeruns(2), but he isn't hitting anything for power with just 6 doubles on the year. I love the high average, but he is supposed to be an RBI guy for this club. Not an average guy.
The Ravens are having a mostly quiet offseason...except for Steve McNair getting into a little trouble with his brother in law. Can't wait to see if Willis McGahee can really bring some explosion back to Baltimore's running game.
I watched the NBA Draft Lottery last night expecting to see the Wizards represented. With the way they finished their season, they felt like a lottery team. The Wizards greatly need an impact player, especially down low. Hopefully they can find that player outside the lottery, and don't keep drafting projects like Andray Blatche and the 2 Russian guys they selected and haven't even signed yet from 2006. The Zards are a playoff team, and need help now...not 5 years down the road. I'd much rather have a solid player who has proven himself in the NCAA than a guy who is playing in some obscure foreign league or not living up to his potential in college.
The Nats are proving to be irrelevant this year. Even with their winning ways of late, they are still 5.5 games behind the 4th place NL East Phillies. Ryan Zimmerman has been heating up lately, but nobody else on that team really interests me much.
The Orioles lost to the Jays again last night. O's are really bumming me out right now with how they are playing, because each loss seems to be by just 1 or 2 runs. They are capable of winning these games, but are really not coming through in tough spots. Particularly disappointing is Miguel Tejada. Not only is he not hitting homeruns(2), but he isn't hitting anything for power with just 6 doubles on the year. I love the high average, but he is supposed to be an RBI guy for this club. Not an average guy.
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