Wow, it's been a crazy couple of months for both myself and my teams. I've been unable to get on here due to law school requirements taking up all of my free time, so all of y'all, my loyal readers, have been left wondering when I'll return with the nuggets of knowledge and insight I try to provide. Well fret not, I'm back again, and once again, claiming that I will try to make this more regular. Today's post will be a take on the Cowboys coaching carousel, where the Spurs stand in the West, return of the NHL, and a team that's doing well in Ann Arbor.
Cowboys Coaching Shake-Up
I will mince no words here: I hate this move. Rob Ryan created a defense that looked very good early in the season until it was decimated with injuries. Even with eight defensive starters missing significant time during the season (and a ninth, DeMarcus Ware, playing hurt the entire second half), the Cowboys had a defense in the top half of the league. Were they the reason we lost to Washington and New Orleans? Yes, no doubt, but the defense in those two games was littered with guys who a few weeks earlier were bagging groceries at their local H.E.B. So why is Ryan being shown the door? He's being shown the door because Jerry Jones still believes in Jason Garrett, so we must suffer as a result. The answer to fixing the defense is even more frustrating, as today the Boys announced the hiring of 73 year old Monte Kiffin. Yes, he's one of the best defensive coordinators of all-time and architect of the great Tampa defenses of the early 00s, but that was the past. Now he is being asked to step in and turn a defense riddled with players better fitted for a 3-4 to run his Tampa 2. While the front seven will benefit from a defense designed to attack the quarterback (and DWare getting his first opportunity to play like Jared Allen, hand on the ground), the secondary isn't good enough to handle this change. Barry Church will be asked to play the John Lynch role in Kiffin's defense and I'm sorry, but there is no way Church can handle that. Of course, this is all a moot point because at the end of the day, Jason Garrett is still the head coach. As long as that is the case, it will be tough for me to have any hope moving forward.
Another Great Spurs Season In The Works
Another season in the Alamo City and another great team assembled by RC Buford and Pop. This Spurs team is so much fun to watch. Duncan is playing his best ball in years, Parker is the star of the team, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard have stepped up to become key components, and Tiago Splitter is now a great compliment to Timmy. The scary part for those in the West? The Spurs are a game out of first in the West without any significant contribution from Manu so far this season. If Manu can slowly work his way back into a rhythm and be typical Manu come playoff time, this team will be as good a contender as any in the league.
Nearing the halfway point for the Spurs and the Rodeo Road Trip looming, these next 11 games are crucial for San Antonio. There are a ton of games in there where the Spurs can make up some rest with blowout victories (home against Phoenix, Charlotte and Washington, road against Dallas and Philly). The other six games will provide challenges but should be pretty winnable (at Atlanta and home versus New Orleans) or be big in the playoff race out West (home-and-home with Memphis, home versus Minny and Golden State). I see a great chance at going 9-2, 10-1, 11-0 going into the Rodeo Road Trip. If the Spurs could pull that off, then the annual time to turn it on and put the fear into the league will have San Antonio sitting at 37-12 or better at the start of it. If this isn't the case, then it must be looked at as a lost opportunity to really put the pressure on the rest of the West.
Return of Hockey Brings Mixed Emotions
I'd love to say that the day the NHL and the players finally came to a deal, I was completely elated and couldn't wait until the season started. I'd love to say that never once did I think, "Whatever, another couple seasons and they'll lockout again". I like to think I'm one of the better hockey fans out there, so it really bothers me that I am having these feelings. My favorite professional playoffs every year is the Stanley Cup playoffs, so I'm sure when May and June rolls around, I'll be completely sucked in again, but it needs to be noted that Bettman and Fehr lost a ton of good will with one of their biggest fans. I'm sure I'm not the only one and that is what scares me. This was a league that was making noise and I truly believe, ready to take over baseball in a few years as a viewed sport. Now, there is no respect for a league that was booming in both attendance and television viewership. It makes me livid to think that a league I love so much is run by such incompetence.
On the flip side, some stream of consciousness for this season: a short season will benefit veteran teams and that is great for the Wings. It'll be so strange to see a Red Wings team without Nick Lidstrom for the first time in my lifetime as a fan. I really can't wait to see what Brendan Smith and Gustav Nyquist can do with another year of big league experience under this belt. The thing I'm most excited for in this upcoming season is no interleague play, as the Stanley Cup Finals will be that much more intense. I really hope the NHL remedies the botched Winter Classic this year and return to Michigan for Leafs/Wings next year. My Stanley Cup prediction: Canucks over Rangers. Why? Gut feeling.
Best Michigan Basketball Team Ever?
Are we witnessing history at Michigan? That is the question on my mind as I watch game after game and win after win from this team. I've been blessed in my lifetime to watch a lot of damn good point guards at Michigan (possibly the only position of continuous strength), but Trey Burke blows them all out of the water. His ability to run a flawless game, score at will, and get his teammates involved is at a level I've rarely seen in college basketball. Tim Hardaway, Jr. is playing within himself this season and as a result, is as dangerous a scorer in the league. Jordan Morgan provides great interior presence for a man of his size, but we'll see if that is still the case when he faces some of these stud posts when Michigan gets further into B1G play. The freshmen, oh man, the freshmen! Nik Stauskas is the best shooter I've ever seen at 18 years old. Seriously, every shot is silky smooth and looks good, even if they miss. Glenn Robinson III is just a beast, an athletic specimen who understands how to attack the rim and still can hit an outside shot. Give him a year or two and the Robinson family will be handing more B1G hardware to the family trophy case. I've given Mitch McGary a nickname which I believe fits perfectly: The Pup. Watching him play reminds me of watching a puppy play with a ball. He goes full speed all the time, gets really excited when those watching him get excited, and yet, doesn't seem to have a good feel for how to utilize his size and capabilities. While this isn't ideal for being a great player now, it works perfectly for his role on this team as a spark plug off the bench. Now if only he could get his fouling under control, but oh well, that's what puppies do.
When the B1G season began, I believed Michigan needed to start at least 5-1, as they had four easily winnable games with a back-to-back road trip to Minny and CBus in between. Well they have gone 3-0 to start and with the Ohio State game looming, a split this upcoming week has Michigan sitting at 5-1 before the most brutal conference in basketball starts throwing their haymakers at the maize and blue. If you don't believe 5-1 is completely necessary, look at the next six games on the schedule and try to find yourself honestly believing Michigan can do better than 4-2 in that stretch. The next six games after Purdue next week are: at Illinois, versus Northwestern, at Indiana, versus Ohio State, at Wisconsin and at Michigan State. That's four brutal road games and two home games versus tough teams capable of pulling an upset. 9-3 after the first 12 games would be spectacular as the final six could definitely see Michigan go 6-0 (Penn St twice, at Purdue and home for Indiana, Michigan St and Illinois). 15-3 in the B1G wins the league, and hell, 14-4 might too. So these next three are crucial: a 2-1 or 3-0 run gives Michigan leeway going into the most brutal six game stretch any team will face this season outside of tournament play. A 1-2 or, God forbid, 0-3 stretch probably costs Michigan the regular season title and the coveted one seed in the B1G tourney (which is very important in a season when the league goes very strong seven deep).
Finally, as great as it would be that Michigan set the school record for best start this Sunday, I'm just not seeing it. Their first truly brutal road game of the season against an Ohio State team desperate to show the loss to Illinois was an aberration just reeks of loss to me. On the flip side, coming off a loss to Ohio State and facing a Minnesota team that just played a battle of their own against Indiana this weekend, a bounce back win at the Barn in Minny is, in my opinion, a much more likely scenario for a win. So I predict Michigan goes L to OSU, then W-W against Minny and Purdue to get to that coveted 5-1.
Whew, a long-winded post but those are my takes on my teams and leagues as they currently stand. Hope y'all enjoyed my first post in a while and I'll be back in a few weeks with more thoughts.
GO BLUE, GO SPURS GO and HEY HEY HOCKEYTOWN!!
The Seidline Report: Thoughts and Rants On All Things Sports-Related
