#1 Overall Pick

Nerlens Noel to the Cleveland Cavaliers

Photo Credit: (Joshua C. Cruey/Landov)

Let the NBA conspiracy conversations resume once again! This was gift-wrapped up way too beautifully for the Cavaliers to not seem suspicious. Regardless, the Cavs are the first on the clock, and can definitely use another threat in the frontcourt. Noel looks to be a major defensive presence with raw offensive skills whose sky is the limit. However his knees are an issue as he’s recovering from a torn ACL. The Cavs future could finally be shaping up with Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, and Nerlens Noel along with solid counterparts and financial flexibility. Could this be the last piece to convince the King to come back to his hometown…?

#2 Overall Pick

Trey Burke to the Orlando Magic

Photo Credit: (Greg Nelson/SI)

This franchise needs anything to help turn things around. Obviously the #1 pick would have been a great start, but have no fear Magic fans there is hope with this pick! Trey Burke can be a confident, electrifying gamer that this organization needs to rebuild and look forward to. His game pours out his inner passion to do anything to help his team win. He is a perfect floor leader with insane range from three, great passing skills, and nasty handles. He can be the best player to come out of this draft.

#3 Overall Pick

Otto Porter to the Washington Wizards

via fullscalesports.com

When I look at this roster I see a lot of potential and some quality players who just aren’t panning out together. They have two players that might be pieces to build around in John Wall and Bradley Beal. Whatever direction this franchise decides going forward they will be looking for someone to play alongside those two. Otto Porter fits the bill well. He does everything pretty well, not spectacular, but enough for what the Wizards need.  He has length, a smooth stroke, and athletic tangibles that can be exactly what the Wizards need to improve for the first time in five years.

#4 Overall Pick

Ben McLemore to the (soon to be) Charlotte Hornets

Photo Credit: (David E. Klutho/SI)

These guys have been the punch line of the league for far too long. They need help, now! Of course the 4^th pick doesn’t help too much. However, the position that they are in relatively to everyone else is surprising. They will select a prospect who has a beautiful jumper and smooth athletic ability. Some people think he can be the best scorer out of this draft. But there are others who believe he disappears too much in game situations. It could be a sweet combination with Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

#5 Overall Pick

Victor Oladipo to the Phoenix Suns

via sportsbycolin.com

This team is another squad that clearly has no direction with their roster and needs help with one side of the ball that for some reason they never worked on. DEFENSE. Victor Oladipo plays his heart out with tenacious defense and scrap at every play to do what’s necessary to win. He’s also known for his athletic ability, energy, and executing multiple clutch plays. He can be a player full of pride to set the tone for the future of the Suns.

- Schreck

Hibbert, who signed a four-year, $58 million contract this offseason, is quietly the most overpaid center in the NBA. Yes, Hibbert is a superior defender who will constantly alter shots throughout the course of a game. But his shortcomings come on the other side of the ball, where you would expect a 7’2 mammoth of a man to dominate. His numbers indicate far from that.

via nba.com

Throughout the regular season, Hibbert never scored more than 28 points in a game and only reached 20 points on nine occasions. Hibbert averaged 11.9 points per game and an alarmingly career-low 44.8 percent from the field, which is not an anomaly since Hibbert is a career 47.3 percent shooter from the field. Those are laughable statistics for a center who is supposed to be the anchor of a conference final team and who primarily shoots inside the paint (and we are not even going to get into the fact that Hibbert averaged 8.3 rebounds per game this season).

Granted, you can point out that Hibbert’s PPG numbers aren’t as high as they should be because he averaged less than 29 minutes per contest. But that doesn’t change the fact that Hibbert might be the worst finisher around the rim in the NBA and shoots an incredibly low percentage from the field.

To his credit, he has been just a bit better in the playoffs, averaging 14 PPG on 47.3 percent from the field and 9.6 rebounds per game. But those are numbers that aren’t good enough for a player of his potential and who’s getting paid as much as he is.

Photo Credit: (USA Today Photo)

So why is this relevant? With the upset-minded Pacers coming into town to take on the Heat, don’t expect Hibbert to be any kind of deciding factor on offense. He will alter shots and have an impact on the defensive end (and even that is up for debate, since Chris Bosh will force him to step out on the perimeter to defend his jumper, one of Hibbert’s weaknesses defensively), but he can’t be counted on as someone who will anchor the Pacers’ offense. For what it’s worth, Hibbert averaged 9.7 PPG on three games against Miami this season.

I don’t expect the Pacers to beat the Heat, but if they do, it will be because Paul George and David West take over offensively. Don’t expect Hibbert to be a factor. He hasn’t done it all year, why would it start against Miami? Maybe it’s time Hibbert starts being held accountable for not fulfilling his massive offseason contract and massive shortcomings.

-Zamarripa

The Case for Sidney Crosby

Photo Credit: Rueters

Sid the Kid is the face of the National Hockey League and that is no secret.  After finally seeming symptom-free from his seemingly never ending suffering from a concussion.  But, Crosby broke his jaw in practice in early April and held him out for the rest of the month.  Even being hurt, Crosby continued to lead the league in points until the last week of the season, in which he was overtaken by Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay, and Ovechkin from Washington.  Crosby only played in 36 games this season, yet still scored 56 points, roughly a point and a half per game.  Crosby was also a disgusting +26 while on the ice, fourth in the league, in which three of the top four were from Pittsburgh.  The NHL pointed out that Crosby had a six game point streak three different times this season, and also had a game with five assists, a big part of his 41 total.  But, Sidney Crosby doesn’t deserve the award because he plays on the Penguins.  And therefore, he is not as valuable to his team as the other finalists are.  Crosby is joined by loads of talent from Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, James Neal, as well as a ridiculous number of other talented skaters.  Without Crosby on the ice, the Penguins went 8-4-0 in the month of April, which isn’t exactly struggling.  Crosby is certainly a huge asset to his team and he was on a record setting pace for points, but is he the most valuable to his team? No.

The Case for John Tavares

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Kathy Willens

A former first overall pick, the New York Islander’s skater has developed somewhat slowly through is first years in the league, but finally had his breakout in 2013.  Tavares carried the lowly Islanders to the playoffs for the first time since 2006-2007, leading his team in goals (28) and points (47).  He was also third in the league in goals scored.  Tavares is clearly the most valuable player for the Islanders, but does he mean more to his team than other players? That’s what’s in debate.  The Islanders needed Tavares to be huge just to get into the playoffs, but Evgeni Nabokov also had a monstrous season for the Islanders, and without their goaltender, would the Islanders have made the playoffs?  Tavares was also electric on the road this season, and according to the NHL, led the Islanders to their best road winning percentage in franchise history, winning 2/3 of their road games.  Tavares is getting the most attention because of the Islander’s turnaround from last season to this one.    Tavares should not win the trophy because of his team’s only mediocre success.  The Islanders, although highly improved, were not a perennial power at any point during the season.  For a player on the eight-seed to win the Hart Trophy, Tavares would need to be a lot more dominant than he was.

The Case for Alexander Ovechkin

Photo Credit: REUTERS / Petr Josek Snr

It was a tale of two halves for Alexander Ovechkin.  In the first 27 games of the season, Ovechkin only potted seven goals.  Although the first half of his season was so poor, that’s what makes the second half so legendary.  In the final 23 games of the season, Ovechkin scored 23 goals, a ridiculous pace.  His tear through the second half of the season, and April specifically, led the Capitals to a 11-1-1 record in the final month of the season, using the weak Southeast Division to catapult themselves into the three-seed in the East.  Ovechkin ended up leading the league in goals, with 32, and finished third in the league in points, with 56, tied with Crosby.  Ovechkin was also lethal on the power play, and helped the Capitals claim the league’s most efficient power play.  Sixteen of Ovi’s 32 goals came via the power play, and he finished first in power play points, too.  Ovechkin was clearly the driving force behind the Capitals’ turnaround and transformed the team from a laughing stock at the bottom of the standings to a contender and a team with home-ice in the first round of the playoffs.  Through the Capitals’ first 27 games in which Ovechkin only scored nine times, the Capitals were in fourth place in their division, and second-to-last in the conference.  Ovechkin’s explosion brought the team up eleven spots to close the season.  Ovechkin should not win the award because of his poor first half.  He was not consistent throughout the season, while the other two finalists were.

The Winner Is… Ovechkin.  His dominance of the Eastern Conference in the second-half of the season was unprecedented and surprising to practically everyone.  The way in which the Capitals struggled when Ovechkin was down compared to the success of the team when he was scoring is staggering and further proves that Ovechkin should be named the Most Valuable Player in the league and win the Hart Trophy.

-Goldberg

Photo Credit: Rueters

My Pick: Pacers in 7

This series comes down to matchups, and I think that the Pacers have the ability to get the best of the Heat.

Point Guard: George Hill v. Mario Chalmers

This is a tough one. Typically, I would go with George Hill, but since his concussion, I am skeptical about how he will perform. However, I do think that he will rebound from his poor Game 6 performance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and get the best of Mario Chalmers in this matchup. Though Chalmers can score, and plays fairly good defense, Hill has the ability to go off, and the victim might very well be Chalmers.

Shooting Guard: Lance Stephenson v. Dwayne Wade

No question here. Even with his stellar performance in the final game against the Knicks, Stephenson will not outperform Wade consistently. That being said, Stephenson has the motor to keep up with Wade, and force him out of his comfort zone. Wade is a Top 5 player, but Stephenson WILL make this series difficult for Wade. Nonetheless, Wade still gets the nod.

Small Forward: Paul George v. Lebron James

It’s Lebron. That’s it. Paul George has come into his own this year, but Lebron is just too big and powerful for George to contain. The series hinges right here though: If Paul George can keep James from having 30+ points in a game, and the rest of the matchups hold as I’ve described them, then the Pacers will win. Allowing Lebron his average will produce a win for the Pacers in a game-to-game setting. That being said, 26 PPG is quite an average.

Power Forward: David West v. Udonis Haslem

This is where Indiana will win games. David West is far better than Udonis Haslem and if he can get his game going early, the Heat have trouble on their hands. West has power and finesse which very few big men in this league have. Watch for West to have a big series.

Center: Roy Hibbert v. Chris Bosh

Two all-star caliber centers going head to head. But there is more to this matchup than that. If Hibbert can disturb the shots of others as he showed throughout the series with the Knicks, then the Pacers defense will be highly effective. Hibbert also has a great touch and though Bosh is a great player as well, I think Hibbert’s size is the advantage in this match up.

Bench: Heat

Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Norris Cole and Chris “Birdman” Andersen. Battier and Andersen will keep the Pacers’ bench scoring to a minimum. Allen is instant offense and Cole is a spark. The only decent bench players that Indiana has are Augustin and Tyler Hansbrough, and I just do not think these players will be enough to win this matchup.

Summary: If the Pacers keep Lebron to his averages and the bench presence to a minimum, they will win. If the Heat can keep Pacers’ big men from dominating the glass and getting easy buckets, they will win. I think the Pacers will surprise the Heat in 7.

-Greenberg

Photo Credit: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Donaldson has always flashed good plate discipline in the minors, but never really made great contact. As seen here, Donaldson has made the mechanical adjustments necessary to generate more power. He posted a .1000 OPS in AAA last year, .844 OPS in the bigs after the ASB, and currently has a .938 OPS. Selective sampling, I know, but it looks like he’s turned a corner.

His .360 BABIP would hint that he can’t sustain a .323 batting average, but a rough estimation of his XBABIP spits out a .337 mark. So even if you shaved off .23 off of his AVG due to luck, Donaldson is still hitting a cool .300.

Donaldson currently has a prime spot in the heart of the order batting 5^th, so RBIs are ripe for the taking. I’m curious to see where Bob Melvin will insert Josh Reddick once he returns from the disabled list. Reddick was dropped in the order because of a very poor start. If he gets the vote of confidence and returns to the #3 spot it’s bad news for Donaldson’s counting stats. Ideally Reddick gets slotted in the #6 spot to give Donaldson some protection.

If you can trade Donaldson for proven talent by all means go for it, otherwise he looks good to roster for the rest of the season.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Ross/GreenwichTime

Mauer has really become unhinged at the plate, striking out 20.9% of the time this year when his career rate sits at 10.8%. This isn’t just an aberration, it’s a trend. This is the 3^rd straight year his K rate has increased. He’s chasing pitches that he doesn’t even normally think about taking the bat off of his shoulder for. His stats still look good, but his problems have been masked by a league high .451 BABIP.

I wouldn’t worry about him too much this year, he’s still talented enough to get away with these issues for now. For those who own him in keeper leagues, this is a clear sign. A 30-year old catcher with an injury prone past is starting to become reckless. Now is the time to sell.

Original article posted here: http://clutchfb.blogspot.com/2013/05/fast-take-josh-donaldson.html

-ClutchFB

This got me thinking, if I were to create a list of the top five starters in the National League, who would make the cut?  So I decided to do just that.  Below is my list, in descending order, of who I believe to be the five best starters currently pitching in the National League.  It was pretty tough to put together, especially once you get to the four and five spots.  I did my best to view each pitcher objectively and without putting too much emphasis on the most recent results.  So here goes:

5) Jordan Zimmerman, RHP, Nationals

Zimmerman has been dominant this year, recording a 1.62 ERA and a 2.76 FIP so far. He was excellent last year as well, posting a sub-three ERA and a 3.51 FIP in 195.2 IP. He has also consistently gone deep into games, averaging over 7.1 IP per start this season.  This is probably the biggest reason why Zimmerman’s name appears on this list and not Stephen Strasburg’s.  Over his career, Strasburg has been more dominant, his 2.65 career FIP is pretty impressive, but he is averaging less than six IP per start.

4) Gio Gonzalez, LHP, Nationals

The Nationals notch their second starter on the list with Gonzalez, who was worth 5 WAR last year on the strength of a 2.82 FIP and a 9.35 K/9.  So far this season, he has struggled with his command a bit, leading to a slight uptick in walks and home runs resulting in a 3.98 FIP.  However, 12.5% of fly balls have resulted in home runs this year, much higher than his career rate of 9.5%.  You can expect that rate to regress to the mean as the season goes on, which will result in better overall numbers for Gonzalez.

3) Cliff Lee, LHP, Phillies

Cliff Lee won only six games in 2012, leading many people to write it off as a poor season for the lefty.  While Lee wasn’t quite as sharp as in the two previous seasons, he was still one of the best pitchers in the NL last year, and continues to be so.  He put up a 3.13 FIP while walking only 1.19 batters per nine innings.  He also threw over 210 innings for the fifth straight season.  He’s continued to pitch at an elite level in 2013, boasting a 3.00 FIP and 1.4 WAR in his first nine starts.

2) Adam Wainwright, RHP, Cardinals

While much of the attention has gone to Matt Harvey, Wainwright has been absurdly good this season, leading National League pitchers in both WAR (2.5) and FIP (1.81).  He has increased his strikeout rate compared to last season and reduced his walk and home run rates, although the latter is likely due to some luck in the HR/FB department.  Since 2009, he has averaged around 5 WAR per season, and is on pace to outdo that number in 2013.

1) Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers

Kershaw has been so consistently good over the past few seasons that he was almost a lock to be in the number one spot.  Here are his key stats from 2011-2013:

He’s clearly the best pitcher in the National League, and has a legitimate argument for being the best pitcher in all of baseball.

-Albright

via 5thquartermag.com

Recently, I have been wondering how the Clippers are going to improve their roster to appease Chris Paul. I think if they got Dwight Howard to join with him and Blake, then the Clippers big 3 would be on par with the Miami Heat. Yet is this possible? Eddie Sefko brought up that the Clippers are trying to do it, but how would they? Lets look at the salaries.

Right now the Clippers salary for 2013/2014:

Blake Griffin: $16,402,500

DeAndre Jordan: $10,986,550

Caron Butler: $8,000,000

Jamal Crawford: $5,225,000

Eric Bledsoe: $2,626,473

Grant Hill: $2,045,065

Willie Green: $1,399,507(Team Option)

So the total salary is: $46,685,095

The salary cap for the 2013/2014 season is $58,044,000 so that means the Clippers will have $11,358,905 in Salary Cap.

How much salary cap will the Clippers need to be able to sign both Dwight and CP3?

According to HoopsRumors, the max Dwight can make is 20,513,178 and Chris Paul can make 18,668,431. I am not exactly sure how the bird exception would work with CP3 and the Clippers, so I tried to look up how much the Clippers would need to sign both. After a long search I could not find anyone who has released an exact amount they would need so I am going to have to guess. According to SBNation, the Clippers would probably have to get rid of at least DeAndre and Caron Butler to have a chance at both. So how will they do this?

Step 1:

Grant Hill plans on retiring so that should free up that 2,045,065 million they owe him next year and reduce the total salary from $46,685,095 to $44,640,030

via bustedcoverage.com

We all know that Gronk is the biggest party animal in the world. It is all over ESPN on a weekly basis. Just days after having surgery on his arm, we saw video of him body slamming his brothers in nightclubs and dancing around swinging his arms all over the place. Many believe his wild and unprofessional behavior caused Gronk to have a third surgery to cure an infection. Next week, Gronkowski will go under the knife AGAIN for a fourth surgery on his left forearm to remove a plate that was put in during the last surgery. If the infection still exists, he will need a fifth surgery that will cause him to miss training camp. When doctors issue you medication for any infection, you have two things to do. Take it easy and don’t drink. Gronk has shown the entire world that he is still partying, drinking, and not showing any signs of slowing down.

Today, more news was released on Gronk. The back issues that hurt him in college have come back and there is a strong possibility that he may need back surgery. If this were to happen, he would have underwent four arm surgeries and two back surgeries with the possibility of another arm surgery to come later.

Have the New England Patriots had enough of Gronkowski’s childish behavior? The answer is yes. While Gronk is only 24 years old, we never read about other NFL players spending time with porn stars, blowing thousands at bars and nightclubs on a weekly basis, and jeopardizing his season by partying with a broken arm. There is a reason why the other Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is living with Tom Brady during this offseason and Gronkowski is not. The Patriots must settle Rob Gronkowski down or he will be out the door, no matter what his on field production means to them.

-Kovner

Photo Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY SPORTS

Lance Lynn is off to another hot start this season, but just like last year it wasn’t meant to last. Another correction is coming soon. He just can’t sustain success throwing the fastball 70% of the time. Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw, and David Price are the only 3 pitchers from 2010-2012 to post gaudy stats throwing the heat over 70% of the time. No disrespect to Lynn, but he’s just not on the same level as those guys. Sell high.

Photo Credit: Carlos Osorio / Associated Press

V-Mart hasn’t returned from his injury as many had hoped, but those who remain patient will soon be rewarded. He’s nothing but a victim of a poor BABIP. He’s walking and striking out at a rate that we’re used to seeing, he continues to spray the ball all over the field, and he’s hitting the ball with authority. Some suggest he’s nursing an injury, but his batted ball distance on fly balls + HR is up 13 feet from his 2011 batted ball data. That suggests otherwise. Buy low.

Photo Credit: Darren Hauck/Reuters

A great finish last year and he’s off to a superb start this year. Gomez has always been well regarded by scouts and his breakout has people thinking he was just a late bloomer. I happen to think he’s just in the middle of the greatest stretch of his career. His plate discipline remains abysmal and his batted ball distance on fly balls plus HR is down 10 feet from last season. An absurd .423 is fueling his performance. Sell high.

Original article: http://clutchfb.blogspot.com/2013/05/quick-hits-lance-lynn-victor-martinez.html

-ClutchFB

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

As a freshman, despite boasting a 36.3FG%, Olu was able to contribute with 7 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 21.1 mpg. His career high came against C.J. Watston’s Tennessee Volunteers when he scored 18 points. He was named a Rivals Freshman All-American and was given All-SEC Freshman honors. As a sophomore Olu averaged 9.4 ppg and 4.2 rpg while improving his FG% to 43.8 and his 3PT% to 39.3 (an increase of 16%). Clearly Famutimi was on the right track and poised for a breakout year, but he jumped the gun and declared for the 2005 NBA Draft. As predicted, Olu did not here his name called. Looking back on his career he probably should have stayed a year or two.

Olu attempted to climb his way into the league with the Sixers, the Raptors, and the Spurs but none panned out. Famutimi then went to Europe, where he still plays today. He started with BC Khimik (Ukraine), then went to Oyak Renault (Turkey), then to Paris-Levallois Basket, followed by Gloria Giants Dusseldorf (Germany) and is now in Turkey with Optimum Ted.

Here are some clips of him dominating the rim in Europe:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

-Schotz