Mad Respect

Brandon Roy still winning games for injury plagued Portland

The Clarion Content hasn't seen enough of the Portland Trailblazers to understand truly how they are doing it, but we have to give them mad respect. We must admit when their centers Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla went down with series injuries within days of each other we thought that the Blazers were in trouble. We figured in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, where even presumed scrubs like Memphis and Sacramento are showing resilience and talent, there was no way Portland could hang in there. We were sure they would slowly and steadily fall out of the playoff picture.

Brandon Roy and the rest of the cast have proven us wrong. We are definitely surprised. The Blazers are now seven up and three down in their last ten, including a win last night over the defending champion Lakers. It is not like Oden and Pryzbilla are their only injuries either, Portland is also playing without starting forward Nicolas Batum (shoulder surgery,) Travis Outlaw (broken left foot,) and guard Rudy Fernandez who had to have a back surgery. Seriously.

Who is doing it for the Blazers besides Roy? Would you believe thirty-five year-old former Fab Fiver, Juwan Howard? Howard is averaging nearly 12pts and 7 rebounds per in his last five games. What about straight out high schooler, now twenty-three year-old, Martell Webster? Once the highest NBA draft pick ever assigned straight to the D-League, Webster is only averaging 10.4pts and 4 rebs per on the season, but he has exploded since the big guy's injuries. Webster is averaging 19.2pts and 6+ rebs per in his last five.

Can these cast-offs, along with Andre Miller and Brandon Roy, keep it up and somehow allow injury decimated Portland to stay in the playoff race? The Clarion Content doubts it, but the Blazers have already proven us wrong once this season. Keep your eye on them.

One more note of local interest, the Blazers signed former Dukie Shavlik Randolph to a 10-day contract on Friday.

NFL Notes and predictions

Could this guy win another Super Bowl?

A few NFL quickies to tide you over, dear readers, until this weekend's NFL playoff games. The first is a trend NFL insiders have noted in the last several weeks. The Carolina Panthers hung on to Coach John Fox, the Bears elected to keep Coach Lovie Smith, ditto for the Houston Texans and Gary Kubiak, apparently the Bucs decided not to drop the over-matched Raheem Morris and it is possible even the Cowboys will let Wade Phillips survive. This trend, to allow the lame duck or all but fired coaches to survive, has surfaced suddenly. The NFL is a copycat league. As Clarion Content fave Petros Papadakis would say, "But why?"

The smart money says it is because of money. Once again, it is all about the benjamins. The owners think it is likely or at least quite possible that there will be an NFL work stoppage in 2011. If the owners of these franchises with lame duck coaches and in some cases staffs too, don't can the old guy and hire someone new, they will not be on the hook for any coaching salaries in a year where there may be no or fewer games. Conversely, fire a coach or a staff with more than one year remaining on their contract(s) and an owner might end up paying two coaches or worse two coaching staffs in a year were there is less or no football. Hmmmm. This is not a good sign for fans rooting against a work stoppage that affects the season.

Our second note is much more positive. We have to give a shout out and kudos to Tennessee Titans running back and East Carolina alum, Chris Johnson. Although his team just missed the playoffs thanks to Coach Jeff Fisher obstinent support of Kerry Collins, Johnson became the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. It is an amazing accomplishment. It is even more impressive set in the context of the team's 0-6 start. Johnson surely didn't get any freebie yards running out the clock in those games. Johnson passed a couple of remarkable Hall of Famers in Week 17. He wiped two of the best of the best from the record books, one of the baddest bruisers ever, and one of the fleetest afoot of all-time.

Johnson broke the franchise rushing record set by the immortal Earl Campbell, 1,934 yards. Forget Adrian Peterson's stiff arms, Campbell was a man amongst men, the single best banging, run directly over you running back in NFL history. Johnson also broke the NFL record for yards from scrimmage, Marshall Faulk's season for the ages, 1999, when he had 2,429 yards from scrimmage. Two totally different styles of back, and Johnson surpassed them both.

Remarkable. Congratulations Chris Johnson!

Our quick NFL predictions for this weekend.

The New York Jets at the Cincinnati Bengals

The Jets killed them in Week 17. The Bengals aren't exactly a veteran, playoff tested team. The Clarion Content sees a lot of things leaning the Jets way, but we can't believe a below-average rookie quarterback is going to win on the road. Sorry Sanchito.

Bengals 17-14.

The Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys

Another rematch of a Week 17 game, the Cowboys shocked the Clarion Content by winning that one. Could they end their long playoff win drought? And save Wade Phillips job? Maybe, but we will have to see it to believe it.

Eagles 30-21.

The Baltimore Ravens at the New England Patriots

The Patriots loss of wideout Wes Welker will be very tough to overcome. He represented 30% plus of Tom Brady's total completions this season. The Pats run defense is suspect. Ravens runner Ray Rice is excellent. It sure is awful tough to take Joe Flacco on the road over Tom Brady. But...

Ravens 24-17

The Green Bay Packers at the Arizona Cardinals

This is the toughest game of the weekend to pick. It is another rematch, the Pack crushed last week when the Cardinals turtled and went totally vanilla. It figures to be a shootout. Both teams have a lot of weapons. If Anquan Boldin plays, we like the Cards for sure. Even without him, we like them a little bit.

Cardinals 38-31

We recommend great caution investing real money in these picks.

Nate gets out of jail

Nate Robinson was finally freed from Mike D'Antoni's doghouse yesterday and he exploded for 41 points and eight assists as the Knicks beat the Hawks in Atlanta in OT. Coach D'Antoni let go his grudge and Robinson blew up. After weeks and weeks of ignoring Nate, he let him play. Robinson had fourteen games in a row of, "Did not play, Coach's decision." D'Antoni had paid no mind to the "Free Nate" chants in the Garden as the Knicks ground out an 8 win and 5 loss December, their best month in ages. But following a defeat at 3 and 30 New Jersey, with no rhyme, reason or explanation Robinson was paroled.

Robinson, one of the Knicks leading scorers last year at 17.2ppg, and their second best player, wasted away while D'Antoni stubbornly played the retread, he'd be a has been, but he's a never was, Larry Hughes. D'Antoni followed this same pattern in Phoenix while he screwed up the peak of Steve Nash's career. He shortened his rotation like he was a Mafia Don and these were the only 6 or 7 guys in the whole world he could trust. At the Clarion Content, we have disliked the D'Antoni hire from the beginning, and we can only hope Nate stays in his good graces. Next up, the Knicks return to the Garden to face the Pacers Sunday.

2009, that's a wrap

2009 was a weird year on a lot of levels. Sports, as so frequently happens, mirrored society. Here is how our favorite sports columnist, Bill Simmons, summed it up, "2009: the year when Kobe and A-Rod led teams to championships, Tiger became a pariah and Norv Turner became a top-five NFL coach."

Colts decision

Benched

Count the Clarion Content in the camp with those who believe the Colts made a mistake by taking their foot off of the proverbial pedal in the third quarter last night. Leading 15-10 the Colts sent Payton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai to the bench. The Jets rallied to win against the third string quarterback, Curtis Painter, and a slew of other back-ups. In the process the Colts lost their undefeated season. They stopped their NFL record 23 game winning streak. They played, in the Clarion Content's opinion, a most dangerous game with their momentum.

Chris Carter was on ESPN radio this morning espousing much the same point of view. The Chargers are rolling. The Patriots looked terrific yesterday and Brady maybe rounding into form at just the right time. Conversely, how much do the Colts play their starters next week, if they pulled them after one drive in the third quarter this week? Their organizational logic would dictate they play them even less. Then as it would play out, the Colts would have a bye-week for the best regular season record in the AFC. Suddenly, they would be playing their first full game of live football in a month in the divisional round of the playoffs. A month of cadillacing and they are supposed to be ready to go against a battle hardened foe immediately? The Clarion Content finds this to be an unwise plan.

We think they evidence is with us, too. Peyton Manning came into the league in 1998. However, he didn't really put it together until 2002. We will give Manning a bye for his first five season as he learned the ropes and went 0-2 in the playoffs. But even since then, the Colts organizational philosophy to take their foot off the pedal late in the regular season has yielded one Super Bowl win in a seven year run with unarguably one of the all-time great quarterbacks. The Colts playoff record over that stretch is a lackluster 7 up and 6 down. They have not won the AFC other than in the Super Bowl winning season. Time will tell of course, but the Clarion Content thinks that the Colts made a mistake sacrificing invaluable momentum by lifting the starters yesterday and losing.

Nets moving forward

Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards

Despite all of the Clarion Content's negativity it appears the New Jersey Nets are moving forward in their efforts to move to Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards. There are still hurdles to clear. The first shovel full of dirt won't be turned in time to interest free-agent LeBron James, but developer and Nets owner, Bruce Ratner, signed 640 documents relating to the closing on the project yesterday, according to a report in the New York Times. The Times also noted that $511 million in tax-exempt bonds for the planned arena were put into an escrow account. The state of New York petitioned courts to condemn large parts of the 22-acre site, including some parcels owned by residents who oppose the project and the state’s autocratic and unconstitutional use of eminent domain.

NBA at the quarter pole: Part II the West

Welcome to the second half of our thoughts, comments and notes on the NBA at one quarter of the way through the regular season. See part I about the NBA Leastern Conference here. The NBA Western conference is stacked by comparison, topped by the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

In our view, as we told you in our NBA preview, we think the Lakers took a step back in replacing Trevor Ariza with Ron Artest. It has been hard to tell with the patty cake schedule they have had so far, playing 17 of their first 21 games at home, where they have gone 15-2. Kobe broke his finger last night in the first quarter and spent the second half throwing in shots left handed. They cannot be discounted because of Bryant and their battle-tested core of Fisher, Odom and Gasol. How much they get out of Bynum and Artest will determine if they can go the distance again. The Clarion Content isn't rooting for them to win the title, and isn't betting on them either, but we surely wouldn't be interested in wagering against them.

The only two teams we could see taking out the Lakers before the finals are from Texas. The first one is an oldie but goodie, the Spurs, if everyone somehow comes through the season healthy, look mighty dangerous. After an awful 4 up and 6 down start they are 7-3 in their last ten. Richard Jefferson is shooting nearly 46% from the field. Tim Duncan is shooting a sweet 55% per. DeJuan Blair is growing up a little every game. He exploded for 18 and 11 boards last week against the Celtics. Antonio McDyess has yet to contribute much, but like Duncan and Ginobili it is simply about surviving the regular season for McDyess. The Spurs have been managing all of their minutes cautiously.

The other Texas team that we think could threaten the Lakers is not the Mavs. It is rather the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have won 5 of 6, including a victory over Lebron and the Cavs. They are playing nearly .600 ball. Laker exile, Trevor Ariza looks like a steal, averaging 17.7 points per game. It should be noted the Clarion Content has loved Ariza since he was a Knick. Without Yao and McGrady, the Rockets are sharing the ball, Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry are tossing in 17.1 and 16.3 a game respectively. Battier continues to play his glue game. They lead the Spurs by a game and trail the Mavs by 2.5 games. Although nobody wants to get caught in the eight spot and have to face the Lakers right out of the gate, it is better than being on the outside looking in on the playoffs.

Denver's inconsistent effort and George Karl's temper make the Nuggets a prime candidate for implosion. It is just a question of when. The Hornets have already blown up. Byron Scott got fired, Chris Paul plays every game pissed. Absent an ownership change the franchise seems doomed. Paul looms as the top free agent candidate for the 2011 off-season. A position he has to prefer to competing with LeBron, D-Wade, Stoudemaire and Bosh this off-season. Portland coming off the Greg Oden disaster will struggle to make the playoffs. The Zombie Sonics led by the brilliance of Durant are up and coming, they have a shot at the eight seed. Memphis and Sacramento tie for the semi-prestigious, "Wow they don't suck as bad as we thought they did" award.

The two Western Conference teams we can't figure out, the Mavs and the Suns. Can we really get sucked into believing in either one of these teams again? Haven't we been down this road in the regular season with them before? Kidd and Nash are thirty-six and thirty-five respectively, they can't possibly hold-up, can they? At this point both squads are playing nearly .700 ball and would be slotted as the #3 and #4 seeds in the West. Nah, we are not buying it just yet.

NBA at the quarter pole: Part I, The Least

Home of the New Jersey Nets

A few thoughts, comments and notes on the NBA at one quarter of the way through the regular season. The Clarion Content noted in our NBA predictions that there was very little chance of anyone outside of Boston, Cleveland and Los Angeles celebrating an NBA title this season. Sorry Cleveland, but we have already narrowed that list to two contenders.

First... the NBA's Eastern Conference "The Least"

LeBron and Cavs have been up and down this season. Shaq has contributed little. They have lost to mediocre squads like Chicago, Washington, Charlotte and Memphis. Even the normally driven LeBron, periodically looks like he is thinking ahead to his impending free agency.

The Celtics, on the other hand, have leaped off the page. Rajan Rondo is an All-Star point guard, no doubt. KG finally appears fully healthy, although one has to wonder how he will hold-up with nearly 60 games to go before the playoffs start. Sheed is contributing off the bench. Eddie House is doing his Vinnie "Microwave" Johnson impersonation. They haven't even had Big Baby Davis on the squad yet, he was a valuable point scoring reserve last year.

Elsewhere the East is putridness. Don't be fooled by Orlando, who made a horrible call adding Vince Carter's chemistry and inconsistent effort to the mix. Is he already rubbing off on Rashard Lewis? Lewis started the season with a ten game suspension, and this week added to his list of accomplishments, refusing to go back in the game when told to by Coach Ron Jeremey, errr, Stan Van Gundy. Useful, Rashard, really useful. Dwight Howard still has no range and no moves. Last year's playoffs demonstrated that he is deadly from five feet and closer, but if teams can force his catches further away from the basket, he is a non-contributor. He is also woefully immature as a team leader, a problem on an Orlando squad lacking team discipline. Thrown-in the Vince Carter deal, Cal product Ryan Anderson has been terrific, averaging nearly eleven points in a mere nineteen minutes.

The bottom of the East is so bad that it appears as many as three sub .500 clubs could make the playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks have cooled off after rookie Brandon Jennings' electrifying start to the season. The Bobcats appear poised under veteran carpetbagger Larry Brown to hang around the edges of the playoff race. The Bulls are underachieving and inconsistent in their focus and offense. The Pacers missing their best player Danny Granger, but may be developing something for the future. Rookie Tyler Hansbrough, from the University of North Carolina, has been getting more minutes and been producing with them. Last night he had a career high 21 points. Indy has also been getting production of late out of 7 foot Georgetown alum, second year player, Roy Hibbert. These bottom feeders along with Le Bullet and the Knicks should be grasping for that final playoff spot and the right to get swept by the Celtics in the first round.

The 2009-10 Nets will not challenge the Sixers 9 up and 73 down all-time NBA record for suckatation. There are too many other bad teams and the boys from East Rutherford are gradually getting healthy. They have, however, already imploded their chances at signing LeBron. And, the Clarion Content would still bet they never play a home game in Brooklyn.

It should be noted that we can hardly get a handle on the Atlanta Hawks. The have a passel full of talent. The have Bob Knight disciple Coach Mike Woodson running the show. Could they be for real? They are off to a strong 16 up and 6 down start.

Channeling Sam Bowie

Greg Oden continued this week, if you will forgive the pun, dear readers, down a trail blazed by former Portland center, Sam Bowie. Oden's injury plagued career, following a dubious drafting ahead of a more talented, but smaller player, parallels Bowie's career thus far. Oden was selected ahead of the scoring sensation of the Zombie Sonics, Kevin Durant. Bowie was selected ahead of the six time title winner, Michael Jordan.

Oden missed rookie season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. Last year Oden missed six games after injuring his right foot in the season opener, then was out for 14 games after the All-Star break with a bone chip in his left knee. Oden like Bowie showed warning signs of being injury prone in college. (His legs aren't the same length, for goodness sake!)

Bowie had missed two full seasons at Kentucky with a stress fracture in his left shinbone. After being drafted second by the Blazers, behind Olajuwon and ahead of Jordan, he played most of his rookie season before severe and repeated leg injuries limited Bowie to only 63 games over the next three seasons.

LPGA members

The Clarion Content has been generally following the story of the LPGA tours collapse. We knew that they had fired their commissioner. We knew that they had lost a significant number of tournaments from next year's schedule. (They have lost nearly 30% of the events from the 2009 schedule.) We see LPGA golf as the vanguard of wider teetering of revenue streams and value across the sports world. If we are right, athletes everywhere should beware, and put a few dollars in the bank. Much of our previous discussion of sport's economics in an era of cratering balance sheets had been about ownership's losses and vulnerabilities.

We just recently saw an article about LPGA tour pros in the New York Times that made us sit-up and take notice. The article was about Reilley Rankin, a LPGA tour pro who earned more than $400,000 a mere two years ago. Last year Rankin wasn't even breaking even on her expenses. She earned about $73k as the 100th player on the tour's money list. Of course, the competitive pressure to score well and finish high was intensified tremendously. She needed financial help from her family to finish the year. The same issue has occurred for a number of other golfers according to the New York Times, including Jamie Hullett who is working in her family's store to help make ends meet. Male golfers have to-date been insulated. The number 100 player on the men's PGA tour, Ted Purdy earned $838k. (Feminism's work is clearly not yet completed.)

The LPGA has been decimated by the loss of advertising revenue and sponsorship. Baseball, basketball, NASCAR, and cycling to name but a few have been facing smaller, but similar troubles. Just as the financial woes of the LPGA have bled through to its players, chances are these other sports will see the same thing occur.