San Diego Sports Guy
Commentary about the San Diego sports scene & other stuff too
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Looking At The Future Of The Miami Dolphins




The Miami sports scene has been rather hit or miss in recent years. The Heat are on top of the world right now, looking to repeat as NBA champions. Meanwhile, the Marlins tried to match that type of success, but instead they have flamed out and are now in rebuilding mode. The Dolphins are somewhere in between right now, but the bigger long term question is, will they even be in the South Beach area?


Right now, the Dolphins can’t find a way with Florida Legislature when it comes to funding improvement for Sun Life Stadium. According to Dolphins CEO Mike Dee, this mess could force the team to relocate. Without getting into a ton of political details, the simple threat of possible relocation effectively catches the attention of NFL fans.


For the last few years, several teams have been linked to Los Angeles as a possible solution to the major city not having a NFL team and such a huge audience having no link to the game except for fantasy football leagues. The Dolphins appear to be the latest team on that wish list, and there are several factors that could make the story more than just wishful thinking.


Without even considering this latest battle, the Dolphins are one of the few NFL teams without a long-term lease with their community. Their attendance is the worst in the league, at least by attendance percentage numbers. Although owner Stephen Ross has denied any relocation rumors, the 73-year old might be nearing the end as far as his current position goes. A new owner could step in and be much more open to relocating.


Things like this do not happen overnight, and the city of Los Angeles does not have a NFL stadium to move into. The plans for Farmer’s Field are just that, plans, so until a team is legitimately considering the area, they will be on hold. Almost every relocation story is shot down as well by people involved with the Dolphins. Whether they will suffer the same fate as the Baltimore Colts and the Cleveland Browns remains to be seen.




J.R. Smith Did Win, Luke Babbitt Received A 3rd Place Vote & A Few Other Random Observations




Earlier today the NBA announced that J.R. Smith won the Sixth Man of the Year award. Jamal Crawford finished in 2nd place and Jarrett Jack third.

Smith somewhat surprisingly won the award easily but that wasn't the most interesting takeaway. What did catch my eye was that some bozo actually gave Luke Babbitt a 3rd place vote. Yes, the same Babbitt who averaged 11.8 minutes a game, 3.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg and shot 37% from the floor. 

Based on his numbers this year and the prior two seasons, Babbitt is one of the 50 worst players in the NBA. This assertion is not even up for debate. The man is that bad. The guy who voted for Babbitt should be identified and flogged in Times Square. Nothing more and nothing less.

In other NBA news today, it was reported that the Cavaliers have reached out to Phil Jackson to gauge his interest in coaching the team next season. The Zenmaster in Cleveland? Please. The odds of this happening are only slightly better than LaToya Jackson heading to Cleveland to coach the team. 

Finally, this has absolutely nothing to do with basketball but right now the funniest show on television is Veep.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus has never been better and the supporting cast (led by the always amusing Matt Walsh and Tony Hale) is tremendous. I can't recommend it enough so check it out.





A Look Back At The NBA Regular Season & J.R. Smith Will Win Sixth Man Of The Year




Back in July last year I proudly pronounced that Damian Lillard would win Rookie of the Year. Well, that very announcement is only a few weeks away. Damian is a mortal lock for the award.

A month later in August I also made some predictions about which teams would make the playoffs. Your fearless prognosticator nailed 14 out of 16...only missing on the injury plagued Timberwolves and perpetually disappointing Raptors.

In my defense, the Rockets hadn't made the blockbuster James Harden deal at the time of the August blog post so I'd like to think Houston would have gotten the nod over Minny. However, thinking Toronto was ready for prime time was a colossal blunder.

The only thing that is more of a lock than Lillard winning ROY is LeBron James being named MVP. Bet the house, farm and children on this one. Here is the Top 10 on my make believe MVP ballot:

1. LeBron
2. KD
3. Chris Paul
4. Melo
5. Kobe
6. Tim Duncan
7. Tony Parker
8. Stephen Curry
9. James Harden
10. Russell Westbrook

Other Awards:

Most Improved PlayerLarry Sanders
Honorable Mention: Jrue Holiday 

Sixth Man of the YearJ.R. Smith
Honorable Mention: Jarrett Jack & Jamal Crawford

Defensive Player of the Year: Joakim Noah
Honorable Mention: Sanders, Marc Gasol & Tony Allen

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau
Honorable Mention: Erik Spoelstra

Most Irritating Coach: Eric Spoelstra (stay off the damn court Erik with a K!)
Honorable Mention: Keith Smart & Lawrence Frank (both completely clueless)

Most Menacing Player: Nikola Pekovic
Honorable Mention: Kurt Thomas

Most Disappointing Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Honorable Mention: Nobody...it was a landslide

Biggest Knucklehead: Andrew Bynum
Honorable Mention: JaVale McGee




Eric Weddle Is Delusional If He Thinks The Chargers Are Best NFL Team




Eric Weddle is either delusional or has had one too many concussions.

The Chargers are not anywhere close to being the best team in the NFL. However, Weddle apparently thinks they are #1:

"Now, shoot, I feel like we're the best team in the league," Weddle told the paper. "And a lot of that is because of Coach McCoy and the way he presents himself -- the way he portrays what he wants. A lot of what you are as a team is attitude, and you can control that."

Perhaps Weddle hasn't seen what his team has done (or not done as the case may be) this off-season. Just read this list of transactions ... it's underwhelming bordering on pitiful.

An 8-8 season would be optimistic at this point for the Chargers. Eric, you may want to stop talking for a while. Just a thought.



 






Fozzy Fever: Chargers Stumble Out Of The Gate By Signing Fozzy Whittaker & John Phillips




Fozzy Whittaker and John Phillips have been signed by the San Diego Chargers. Who?

After news broke of Luis Vasquez bolting to the division rival Broncos early this afternoon, the Chargers announced the signings of Whittaker and Phillips (30 career catches and two touchdowns in 3 years). This may or may not be related, but I think I'm coming down with a Fozzy Fever right now. 

While it is still VERY early, I can't help but think back to the memory of two off-seasons ago when the major free agent acquisition was Travis LaBoy.

New general manager Tom Telesco has his work cut out for him during the next couple of months and he'll need to address the gaping holes on the roster (especially the offensive line) or the Chargers will be one of the ten worst teams in the NFL.

A.J. Smith left the cupboard virtually bare and it remains to be seen if Telesco is the right man for the job. Based on Day 1 it appears that he may be in slightly over his head. We shall see what the future holds...  
 








Damian Lillard Has Lived Up To The Considerable Hype




Back on July 16th I proudly predicted that Damian Lillard would win the ROY award and become the next NBA superstar. Well, we're now well past the half way point of his rookie campaign and Lillard has met my lofty pre-season expectations.  

Put simply, this diminutive dude is a stone cold killer. Here are Lillard's stats in his first 51 NBA starts:

18.1 ppg
6.6   apg
3.3   rpg
1.0   spg

Pretty impressive numbers for a rookie point guard on a team in playoff contention despite having the worst bench in the entire league. Unless The Brow suddenly starts averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks a game, Lillard is going to win the ROY award in a landslide.  


In 24 Hours Norv Turner Will Be Gone...Finally




We are now 24 glorious hours away from D-Day. 

Black Monday will be very special for all Chargers fans this year. Why? Because Norv and A.J. will finally be gone. Dean Spanos should have done it much sooner given the team's misfortunes over the past three years but for whatever reason he didn't pull the trigger. 

Now he has absolutely no choice. A large percentage of the team's home games are blacked out and nobody really cares. Norv and A.J.'s ineptitude and incompetence have brought nothing but apathy to devoted Chargers fans. 

Andy Reid? Jim Mora Jr.? Please. This town needs fresh blood. Not a retread. Bruce Arians is the the right man for the job. Come on Dean, make it happen.


Random Observations About Mitt, Drudge, Norv, Honey Boo Boo & More




Just a few of the things on my mind today...


There you go again, Mitt.

Barack Obama certainly would be very vulnerable right now if there was actually a legitimate Republican or third party candidate. Unfortunately, that just isn't the case.

As if things weren't bad enough all ready for Romney, a video emerged earlier today that makes Mitt look even more out of touch...if that's even possible. Good thing Matt Drudge came to Mitt's rescue and posted a video of Barack Obama from 14 years ago. No, not 14 weeks or months ago. Years. Yeesh.

Kohl's is hiring but since forty-seven percent of the country is lazy, entitled and simply looking for a government handout the department store might have trouble filling the open positions. Isn't that right Mitt?



In other news, the San Diego Chargers are currently 2-0. Yippee!!  Too bad those two wins came against the Raiders and Titans...likely to be league doormats all year.

The Bolts haven't been tested yet and next week's game against the Falcons will be very revealing. If Norv Turner and the Chargers truly are for real they will take care of business at home with a convincing victory. If not, it's probably going to be another up and down 8-8 or 9-7 year. We shall see.   



Last but not least, what the hell is wrong with people in this country? Until two weeks ago I had never heard of Honey Boo Boo. Now she and her morbidly obese momma are everywhere. Evidently, 3 million brain dead Americans watch these two on their abomination of a show every week. Mind boggling...simply mind boggling.




 

Was There Ever A Doubt Dwight Howard Would Be Traded To The Lakers?




Put simply..no. There was never one iota of doubt. We just thought the Lakers would have to give up more than Andrew Bynum, a late 1st round draft pick and two guys from the end of the bench. 

When it became clear late last night that the deal would be consummated, the following words immediately came to mind: inevitable, ridiculous, preposterous, the rich get richer and that's it!?!

Congrats to the Lakers and all of their rabid fans. However, the fact that they were able to obtain Howard while keeping Pau Gasol is indeed preposterous. 

The Magic didn't get nearly enough for Dwight and I have yet to hear anyone other than Orlando GM Rob Hennigan who thinks the players and picks acquired in the deal were sufficient. Given the circumstances, 70 cents on the dollar would have been adequate. Orlando got 25 cents...at best. 

The Magic will be awful for the next few years and as far as next season is concerned their win ceiling will be 30 games. Other than the Bobcats and possibly Sacramento nobody will be worse. 

The Lakers? Pencil them in for 60 wins next season and a trip to the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City. The Spurs and Clippers will be in the mix as well, but it would be very surprising if the Lakers don't battle the Thunder for the chance to meet the Heat. 

Howard, Gasol, Bryant and Nash on the floor at the same time...just preposterous.


 

Warriors & Wolves Are Teams To Watch In The Wild Wild West




There are less than 90 days before the NBA season tips off and the playoff race in the Western Conference should go down to the wire. Right now we see a Big 5 and seven other teams scrambling for the final three playoff slots. 

Because most of the second tier teams are so close in talent level, injuries are definitely going to be a huge factor in whether a team makes the playoffs or not.  Andrew Bogut, Stephen Curry, Brandon Roy, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love are all vital pieces to the success or failure of the Warriors and Timberwolves franchises.  

If these guys can play 2/3 of their respective team's games then look for both the hard luck Wolves and Warriors to sneak into the playoffs. If not, then it's going to be yet another long year. Here is how we see things shaking out this season:

1. Thunder - 59-23  Clearly the cream of the crop
2. Spurs -    57-25   Deep and still very solid
3. Lakers -   54-28  Still LA's best team...but not by much
4. Clippers - 53-29  Very good but Vinny is still the head coach
5. Grizzlies -  49-33  Last of the Big 5
6. Nuggets -  44-38  Twelve deep but no real stud/star
7. Wolves -   43-39  Kahn has assembled a roster that could contend...if healthy
8. Warriors - 42-40  All depends upon the brittle Bogut & Curry

Outside looking in...

9.   Mavericks - 41-41  
10. Jazz  -          41-41
11. Blazers -      40-42
12. Suns -          40-42

No shot at all barring a minor miracle...

13. Rockets   35-47
14. Hornets    34-48
15. Kings       32-50

Agree or disagree? Let us know...