Final 4 Preview

The Final 4 is here. Two super match ups are on the horizon this evening as Kentucky-Louisville and Ohio State-Kansas are primed for a couple of showdowns.

First, Kentucky and Louisville, a dream match up in the Final Four. Pitino against Calipari. These two school are just 70 miles apart in the state of Kentucky and there is plenty of hatred shared amongst fans. Louisville is certainly hot. They won four games in four days in the Big East tournament on their way to the title, and have now won 8 games in a row heading into the Final 4. Kentucky stormed through the South region. Their closest game thus far has been 12 points, against Indiana. The Cat's confidence level has to be riding high.

This is going to be a thriller. All the pressure is on Kentucky...or that's at least certainly the card Louisville is trying to play. Here's what I think. When is the pressure not on Kentucky? Every game they play is the other team's "super bowl". On the road in the SEC, they face white-outs, black-outs, orange-outs, so they are used to the heat. And I'm sorry but there is pressure on Louisville. This is the Final 4. You are here to win, not for moral victories. Don't let Louisville fool you. They will be nervous.

Second, Ohio State and Kansas. Obviously the headline match up is in the paint between Jared Sullinger and Thomas Robinson. You think there will be any NBA scouts watching that match up? Of course. The battle in the paint has more than just a national semi-final riding on it, but it could also determine which player is drafted before the other in the NBA draft this June.

If Kansas wants to win this ball game, Tyshawn Taylor is going to have to play well. That will be a tough task against the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year in Aaron Craft. He has pestered every point guard he has faced thus far in the tournament and you can guarantee he is looking to fluster Tyshawn Taylor. That to me will be the more important match up in this ball game. Whoever wins the battle in the backcourt, will have a great opportunity to play again on Monday night.

Regardless of the outcomes in the two games, we are in for a special national championship on Monday night in New Orleans. There are no Cinderella teams in this Final 4, like we have seen in past years, but rather a class of heavyweights, with a dream of cutting down the nets on Monday night.

--GM

Clipper faithful finally have a winner.

Clipper fans finally have a reason to smile. After 27 years in Los Angeles, Clipper fans have only seen THREE winning seasons. The Clippers have never won a division title, a conference championship or even sniffed an NBA title. But now, things are finally starting to turn.

It all started with the drafting of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in back to back years. They were set in the paint. Throw in a few players on the perimeter, and this team could succeed. However, Blake Griffin broke his kneecap and was forced to sit out his rookie season. The Clippers won 29 games in the 2009-2010 season. The following year, not much changed. The Clippers were still overshadowed by the Lakers, the team they share an arena with. They won 32 games, but you began to get a feeling that this team was on the rise.

Blake Griffin exploded onto the NBA scene with his electrifying dunks, but that was all the Clippers were known for. In December of 2011, Donald Sterling made a move that would change the Clippers franchise forever. The Clippers acquired Chris Paul in a trade from the New Orleans Hornets. Heading into the shortened 2011-2012 NBA season, the Clippers were finally on the map. Much to the dismay of Kobe Bryant, many believed that the Clippers had the best team in Los Angeles.

This is why parity is good in sports. I mean, imagine what Clippers faithful (the few that exist) are experiencing this season. The Clippers are 28-21 this season are currently in 4th place in the West. Lets be honest, if you like the Clippers living in Los Angeles, you have to be pretty strange. The Lakers have won 7 NBA titles since the Clippers moved to Los Angeles and are one the greatest franchises in NBA history. Come on. How did people miss that bandwagon? How can you live in L.A. and not be a Lakers fan?

Imagine how miserable it has been over the years watching the team that you share a building with win over, and over again. But after 27 years, you are a still a fan. Now thats devotion. There aren't many franchises in professional sports that have been as consistently bad as the Clippers. Maybe toss the Cincinnati Bengals into the conversation, but thats a different topic. The fans deserve this team. They deserve a winner. After all the losing, and all the shame, its time. Its safe to say they've now got what they've been waiting for all these years. Enjoy it while it lasts.


--GM

The One and Done Rule, and everything that's wrong with it.

College basketball has become a burden to the top level high school recruits that are interested in going to the NBA. In 2005, the rule was changed forcing high school players to attend college for at least one season before being eligible for the NBA draft. This has created controversy on a couple of different levels.

1. Colleges and universities all over the country are now faced with the "one and done" rule. Coaches are criticized for recruiting these players that are likely to leave their program after just one season, adding no level of academic integrity toward the school's program. On the contrary, coaches are criticized for not recruiting players that are not going to be a part of their program for more than one season. The dilemma goes both ways. 

It is clearly hard to win a national title with a group full of freshman. Just ask John Calipari. However, coaches are scrutinized daily due to the insistent perception from fans and boards members of: What have you done for me lately? Coaches simply do not have the time that they used to have to build a team up. So they are forced with a decision. Do I recruit these one and done players that are at the top of their high school class? Or do I recruit players that I know will be here into the future and risk a few "down" years? Its a difficult decision. Just ask Ben Howland at UCLA.

2. There are many high school players that have had success going to the NBA straight out of high school: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard. The list goes on. There are plenty of players that would prefer to head to the NBA draft because they feel as if there stock could be higher out of high school, than after a year of college. Here are a few examples: 

--B.J. Mullens. He wanted to go the NBA straight out of high school. He felt that with his "high school hype", he would've been drafted higher than he was after attending Ohio State for one year. "I probably would have been a higher pick (in 2008) because of the hype I had coming out of high school,” Mullens said. “But college helped me a lot. I’m kind of glad the rule was in because I got to be on campus and experience college life and make great friends." (Quote per the Columbus Dispatch)

--Brandan Wright. He was drafted 8th overall in the 2007 NBA draft after averaging 14.7 PPG, 6.2 boards and 1.8 swats per game at North Carolina. Wright has been plagued by injuries since he arrived on the NBA scene preventing him from reaching his full potential. However, Wright was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Tennessee 3 times, something that no one else had ever accomplished. He also won four state titles at Brentwood Academy, and was the #1 Power Forward in the 2006 class by Rivals.com. Its safe to say that he could have benefited coming straight out of high school. 

Here is my two cents on the NBA draft. Players that want to go straight out of high school should be allowed to go. No question. Bill Walker, a former one and done player out of Kansas State, had this to say about the NBA draft restrictions. "I’m against it. I don’t see why you have to be 19 to play a game of basketball when you can be 18 and go to war for our country and die. It’s ridiculous.” (Quote per NBA.com)

Lets not get crazy. I think what Walker has said is a little bit out there, but is not necessarily incorrect. The rule hurts players that need to get money as soon as possible. A lot of players grow up in poor parts of the country and need to get to the NBA to help support their families. However, going to college does allow a player time to develop and iron out the parts of their game that need to be improved. Both sides have valid points. 

The problem that I have with the rule is that college coaches face scrutiny when players leave their program early for the draft which is not right. In 2005, the NCAA created the APR (Academic Progress Rate) to judge how well student-athletes at a certain program are progressing toward graduation. If a player declares for the draft prior to the April 10th deadline set by the NCAA, the program's APR rating is not penalized. However, if a player declares after the NCAA's date, and focuses on the NBA's deadline, which isn't until late April, the school is penalized and their APR score plummets. Penalties are then likely assessed.  

This happened to Ohio State when Greg Oden and Kosta Koufos dropped out of school after the NCAA's deadline. Ohio State was forced to vacate two scholarships because of the date that these players withdrew from the school, lowering the programs APR rating. Its safe to say Thad Matta wasn't pleased. Matta has seen 5 freshman leave for the NBA draft early since 2007. 

Thats the issue. Schools are being punished because of the one and done rule and because of the fact that student-athletes aren't made fully aware of the APR system. But thats a different issue. The NBA needs to change the rule. Plain and simple. Allow players to enter the draft straight out of high school or make them stay in college for at least 3 years, like the NFL. One or the other would work. College football programs don't go through this and college basketball programs shouldn't have to. Yes, I'm looking at you David Stern. It's time to step up and make a change. 

--GM

Memphians are ungrateful for John Calipari

Memphis Tiger faithful need to stop and think about where this Tiger basketball team was before John Calipari arrived as the head coach of this team in 2000. Tic Price had just been fired amongst scandal of an inappropriate relationship with a co-ed. Tiger basketball had been absent from the tournament for the last 3 seasons and hadn't thought of being in the national spotlight since the Penny Hardaway and Dave Vaughn days back when they reached the Elite 8 in 1992.

John Calipari took this program over in shambles. There wasn't a Finch Center to boost recruiting. National recruiting was an option, but not a feasible one. It was a dark time in the history of Memphis basketball. Cal's first two seasons were rough, but he lead the Tigers to an NIT championship in 2002, and back to the NCAA tournament in 2003 for the first time in 7 years. The Tigers left the Pyramid and began playing their games in the brand new NBA arena: The FedEx Forum, in 2004. This move was spurred largely by John Calipari's great relationship with Michael Heisley (owner of the Grizzlies), a close friend of Cal, who had just moved the Grizzlies to Memphis from Vancouver just a few years before. The Tigers were then set to take off nationally. They had the facilities to recruit all over the country, and the coach with enough balls to get any player he wanted.

Cal led the Tigers to the Elite 8 from 2006-2008 including an appearance in the National Championship game in 2008. In Cal's tenure, he doubled the program's Sweet 16 and Elite 8 appearances and won a plethora of conference titles. He established the Finch Center, making recruiting easier than ever, brought the Nike Elite contract to the athletic department, and nearly won a national title in 2008, something this city hadn't dreamed about since the early 90's.

And now you are telling me that you are going to cheer for Louisville in the Final 4 this weekend? The devil's advocate? Memphians need to remember where this program was before John Calipari arrived, and where it was when he left. Sure there were NCAA sanctions when Cal left, but those have been handled and the program is right back in the national spotlight.

But where would this program be if Cal had never decided to take the job in Memphis? Would they be headed to the Big East in 2013? Definitely Not. This team would be left behind the C-USA/MWC merger that is honestly, going to be terrible. Cal built the brand name that is Memphis basketball and has made Memphis a name that is now well known for its basketball, not just its barbeque.

--GM