Built Ford Tough

I think this is literally the first time I have ever heard somebody say that Andre Miller is not a good passer. Seriously, how can you watch this guy more than one or two times and come away with the impression that he is not a good passer? He has been one of the absolute best passers and playmaker in the NBA for basically a decade.

Matthew Lombardi is going to make his Leafs' debut tonight. Pretty awesome to hear considering I don't think anybody expected him to be back this soon after the concussion issues he had last year. I know quite a few people didn't even think he would ever come back. http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/mapleleafs/article/1063020--matthew-lombardi-makes-leafs-debut-saturday?bn=1 Also, it is about time the NHL implements no touch icing. Last night Taylor Fedun of the Oilers suffered a fractured femur as he and Eric Nystrom raced for an icing. Nystrom's stick got between Fedun's legs and Fedun ended up stepping on it and he slid right into the boards. It was an accidental play as Nystrom clearly didn't mean to do it, but with all of these unecessary injuries, you have to wonder why no touch icing hasn't been implemented already. I can't think of any valid reason for keeping touch icing. Here is a video of the play. http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=125687 EDIT: Femur, not fibula.

I'd send Couturier back to Drummondville for another season. I'm sure he could be a serviceable 3rd liner this season, but is that really worth it for the development of one of your top 2 or 3 prospects? As far as I am concerned, unless the player is a lock for a top 6 role with the NHL he should be sent back down to junior to continue his development there. Give him another year in junior and then see where things stand next season. I've got a similar opinion to Schenn in where if you don't think he is going to play a fairly large role and would only factor in for around 8-10 minutes a night wouldn't you rather have him play 20 minutes in all situations (PP, PK, ES) in the AHL? After all, he is only 20 years old and I don't think I have ever heard of a story where a player's career was ruined because he spent too much time in the minors, but players have had their careers ruined by being rushed to the NHL.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qp8jhJSka0E/TZSmpMYr8MI/AAAAAAAACT8/AvaiA0KIVOo/s1600/red%2Bsox%2Bbest%2Bteam%2Bin%2Bbaseball%2B2011.jpg http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/2011-red-sox-will-challenge-1927-yankees-for-title-of-greatest-team-in-major-league-history.html Boston has experienced too much sports success lately anyways, so I can't say I feel any sympathy for them.

Nailed it.

And the Sox lose as Crawford can't hold onto the looper.

To be fair, you could probably attribute Dallas' great shooting from three to Dirk because Miami was so concerned with him. It opened things up for his teammates because he played an unselfish game and took what the defense gave him rather than forcing it. You take Dirk out of that lineup and I guarantee that the Mavs don't shoot nearly as well from three because they don't have that magnet who draws in the defense. Some of this could apply to Terry's play as well, although Terry did some magnificant things on his own and I wouldn't take any of that away from him. I'm not saying Dirk won it by himself or anything like that, because he definitely didn't, but his supporting cast wasn't exactly so highly regarded up until the Laker series. They all stepped up big time in the playoffs.

It is pretty much a toss up as to who is better now; or at least who was better last year since who knows how much they have improved over the past 3 or 4 months. I know from what I have seen, DeRozan's jumper and handles look much better, but they are only highlights from exhibition games. Mathews probably gets a slight edge just because he is a more complete player right now while DeRozan still has a glaring hole in his game (3 point shooting) and isn't much of a defender either. In terms of who I think has the higher ceiling, I'd take DeRozan without hesitation. He is 3 years younger than Matthews and the improvements that he made from his rookie to his sophomore season was very impressive and you can see that he still has so much room to grow as a player. I'm not saying that Matthews has peaked or anything like that, but I think with DeRozan's combination of athleticism, body control, ability to get to the line, finishing ability and excellent mid range jumper he can definitely become a 20 ppg scorer on solid efficiency, assuming he puts it all together. If he adds a reliable 3 point shot, I think he could even get up to around 22 a game. He also has a fair amount of defensive potential in my mind as well because of his size and athleticism, and working with Dwane Casey should definitely help him develop in that regard. For your last question, I'd go with DeRozan again partially because he has more star potential and that is what the Raptors need more than a great role player which is what I see Matthews' ceiling as. However, if you were a team like the Mavs Matthews would probably be a better fit as they are all in for the next year or two and Matthews is a better fit on a veteran team like that because he is the more rounded player and his skillset is going to mesh better with a team like that than DeRozan's would.

Sestito gets 2 games for his hit on Deveaux (preseason suspensions mean shit all as far as I am concerned). I'm kind of surprised at that. I thought he would get a couple more based on the way that similar hits have been penalized.

I've been busy watching the Jets preseason game/doing homework, but what the hell happened with the Tampa/New York game? I flipped it there and the Yanks were up 7-0 and then I just flipped it back and saw the game was tied at 7. Did the Yankees decide to throw the game or something to screw with the Sox?

Adam Dunn is going to become the 2nd everyday player in MLB history (I think at least) to finish the season with a lower batting average (currently .160) than total strikeouts (currently 174). Well worth the $12M he is making this season just for the hilarity factor alone.

If you have a goon taking runs at one of your skilled players, I am completely fine with you sending a 3rd or 4th liner after an opposing teams skilled players. For example, say Sestito has been taking liberties all game long and then he runs Grabovski and as a result Grabovski is forced to leave the game, what good does it do for Toronto to send Orr/Rosehill after Sestito? Obviously you look to settle the score with him at some point in the game, but if the Flyers have their goon taking runs at the Leafs skill players, I'd be returning the favour right back by sending Orr/Rosehill after a Giroux or a JVR. That would be a fair trade off, which is what I was getting at. I'm not saying that you should always go after a skill player, but if you have a guy constantly taking runs and making dirty plays, there comes a time that you need to retaliate and, as much as it sucks, the skill players are the ones who are put in danger. I'm also not saying that they should run the guy from behind or try to kill him, but rather just rough him up a little bit to send a message that if you go after one of our skill guys, we are going after one of yours. This might not have been the best time to mention that, considering Deveaux is hardly a skilled player, but it did sort of apply with the whole Sestito/Avery thing.

Good for Avery, and I hate the guy. If you have a no talent hack like Sestito running around like an idiot running people somebody should say/do something about it. Obviously I don't wish harm on any player, but if the Flyers want to dress goons like Sestito/Shelley and have them taking runs at defenseless players the skill players on the Flyers should be targeted a bit. Avery is more bark than bite, though. If teams want to dress a player like Sestito and he takes stupid liberties like he did last night, they should have to be weary of their actually talented players being targeted. I'd also be saying the same thing if it was Colton Orr or Jay Rosehill throwing a disguisting hit like that as well (although I don't see either one doing something like that, especially Rosehill). If one of them ran a guy like Sestito did, I'd expect there to be threats to a guy like Kessell or Grabovski and, depending on the severity of the incident, I'd even expect somebody to run at them. It is a part of hockey and always has been. PS: Not saying you are trying to slight Avery or anything. This is more of a general comment and is not directed to you.

That was ridiculous. Sesito comes from absolutely nowhere, full speed ahead and just clobbers Deveaux into the boards. He even cuts off his own teammate so that he can run him. Sheesh.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Canucks+Mason+Raymond+sure+play+again+still+indefinitely+with+broken+back/5443763/story.html#ixzz1YjQduWe2 I'd be surprised if he doesn't ever play again since from all things I've read it sounds like he is likely to be back sometime this season, but just hearing that there is a possibility that he may never play again really sucks. It makes you wonder when he does come back (because again, I'm sure he will) if there won't be any negative affects on his game.

Can you really say this is a 10 game suspension, though? I mean, does being suspended for preseason games really even matter? I'm not complaining about the suspension or anything because I do think 5 regular season games is fair, but as far as I am concerned this is a 5 game suspension and not a 10 game one (just like Leblond's is a 1 game suspension in my mind). Being suspended for preseason means nothing to me, especially considering I doubt Shelley plays in anymore than 3 of those games anyways. I do like how Shanny goes on the radio and explains what his thought process was behind giving out the suspension.

Honestly, I think he can be better than Noah if he continues to progress at the rate that he currently is. He may not be the rebounder or passer that Noah is, but I think he has more potential offensively as he seems to have much better touch around the rim, better finishing ability and just seems to have more offensive instincts than Noah. Also, he is an awesome free throw shooter for a 7 footer and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him develop a reliable 12-16 foot jumper as well. I also think Valanciunas has the potential to be better defensively as well. I may be wrong, but I think he is taller and has a larger wingspan, but most importantly, Valanciunas has a thicker frame than Noah does and I can see him bulking up when he gets older as opposed to Noah who doesn't have the frame to support much more than the 220-230 pounds that he currently is. They both seem to have similar athleticism, shot blocking instincts and things like that but I believe Jonas won't be bullied as easily as Noah can be. It isn't a terrible comparision by any means and I think they will definitely be similar players, but I think Valanciunas has the potential to be a better version of Noah.

So does Jody Shelly get the first suspension in the Shanny era? I'd say so. The hit was late, from behind and Shelly has a history of these kinds of plays (he was suspended last year for a similar hit on Adam McQuaid). Nice scrap between Rosehill and Shelly after the hit as well. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, here is a video of the hit and the fight that followed. http://mmahockey.com/2011/09/video-jody-shelley-hit-on-darryl-boyce-jay-rosehill-fight/ PS: Boyce's nose can't catch a break. Last year with the camera hole incident and now his noise gets jacked up in the 2nd preseason game he plays in. Poor guy.

I'm not a huge believer of the Sabres either. They don't have the offense to really compete with the top of the East but they are better than they were last season. I don't think that is debatable. Basically my view on them is they have elevated from a fringe playoff team or 7/8 seed to being a middle of the pack team who is likely to finish around the 5th or 6th seed. They aren't better than Washington, Pitt (even without Crosby), Boston or Tampa and are in that middle-tier group with the Rangers and Habs. The Flyers are wild cards in this as well as I have no idea what the hell they are going to be like this year. It wouldn't surprise me to see them win the division nor would it surprise me if they missed the playoffs. The only thing I disagree with you is about Ryan Miller (I also think Washington will finish 1st in the East, assuming that list of yours is in order but whatever). I think he is definitely a top 3 goalie in the league but his problem is that he has been on fairly mediocore teams for most of his career, much like Henrik Lundqvist. Both of them are top 3 goalies in the league, top 5 at worst, but some people don't give them the credit that they deserve simply because they don't have the supporting cast that a goalie like Thomas or Luongo have. I'd put the top goalies in the league something like: 1. Lundqvist 2. Thomas (he would be 1, but I think he is going to take a step back this year) 3. Miller 4. Rinne 5. Price I've always been a huge Miller fan, though.

I'm not saying that his MSG triple-double wasn't a phenomenal game and one of the biggest in his career, but I just can't put it with the 48 point game because the 48 point game was so much more meaningful and against a vastly superior team. Putting up a triple double on the Knicks isn't nearly as impressive as dropping one on a team like Boston or Chicago. The biggest reason why it was so talked about is because it was at MSG and because Kobe dropped 60 on them the week before (or was it the week after?). I'd definitely say the Cavs were underdogs. Maybe they weren't "huge underdogs" like I posted above, but I don't believe for a second that many people were predicting the Cavs to make the Finals over the Pistons that season. Regardless of the regular season records being close, the Pistons were looked at as a team who the regular season didn't matter to, much like the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs for the past 5 or so seasons. As far as I remember, basically everybody expected the Pistons to win that series and make the Finals. Just taking everything into consideration in terms of it being in the playoffs, against the beasts of the East, the game being basically the deciding game of the series and him going absolutely putting his team on his back like few have ever done in playoff history you just have to use that game. Other than the aura of MSG, his triple double wasn't that defining considering we have seen him flirt with some godly numbers like that before. At least that is the way I see it.

The Myers deal is official and it is what I posted above. 7 years with an annual cap hit of $5.5M. The Sabres spent A LOT of money on their blueline this season. If Regher plays like the elite shutdown defenseman he can be, Erhoff gives them the puck moving defenseman that they desperate need, Myers continues to develop into a franchise calibre d-man and Marc-Andre Gragnani carries over his excellent play from the post season, the Sabres are going to be very difficult to score on considering Ryan Miller has carried a fairly average d-corps to the playoffs year in and year out basically by himself. Also, Teemu Selanne decided today that he is going to comeback for "at least one more year". He signed a 1 year, $4M deal with the Ducks.

LeBron's would be the 48 point, 29 of the teams last 30 performance in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons. His triple double at MSG was spectacular and all, but I just don't see the argument for his defining game, at least as of right now, to be anything other than the game against the Pistons. The Cavs were huge underdogs in the series to start off with. They fall down 0-2 to start the series. They look like they will be going down 3-1 heading back to Detroit. And then LeBron just goes off. Not only does he go on the absurd hot streak, but he also hits the game winner with 2 seconds left in double overtime against the premier team in the Eastern Conference for basically the entire 2000's. That single performance was the turning point of that entire series. Taking everything into account, I would have to say that was his defining game. For Vince Carter, it would be Game 7 of the Eastern Semi-Finals in 2001, but not for the right reasons. He had an amazing series and his 50 point, 6 rebound, 7 assist, 4 block and 9 3's in game 3 of that series is the one that would normally be the type of game that you would expect to be mentioned, but it has to be Game 7 of that series. He didn't play terribly in that game as he did finish with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals, but with all of the controversy surrounding him flying to his college graduation prior to the game combined with his poor shooting (6-18) and missing the game winner at the buzzer it has to be that one. He makes that shot the Raptors likely make it to the NBA Finals that season but instead he misses it and, to be honest, Carter doesn't get back to that level of play for pretty much the rest of his career. I can't help but wonder how not only his career, but the Raptors as a franchise, would be different if that shot goes in.

He scored 12 points in his first game with Zalgiris. It was just a friendly game but they won 80-79. Ty Lawson scored 21 points for Zalgiris.

For anybody who cares (which there seems to be very few), Argentina beat Brazil by 5 (80-75) in the finals. Luis Scola scored 33 points in the win and was also named Tournament MVP as his 21.4 ppg led the tournament. The Dominican Republic beat Puerto Rico 103-89 in the 3rd place game behind 23 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists from Al Horford.

Macedonia upset Lithuania earlier today. That team is on on hell of a run. I don't think anybody saw anything like this coming.