Best & Worst Of NFL Week Eleven

Gotta love it when playoff races are starting to tighten up around the National Football League. We are through week eleven and we got a lot taking shape. Dak Prescott went off for Dallas, which hlped keep them on top of the NFC East, for the time being. They also got a little bit of help with the Eagles losing to New England. Oh and then there was Lamar Jackson doing, well, Lamar Jackson things in the Ravens win. There's a lot to digest from the week that was around the NFL, so let's get into it. Here's some of the best and worst from the week that was around the league.

Best:
Baltimore Ravens Defense
With good reason, the story of the year in Baltimore has been the offense, The way Lamar Jackson has been going about things is pretty impressive. But it was the Baltimore D that made a pretty impressive statement on Sunday in a 41-7 dominating win over Houston. You could put DeSean Watson in the argument among the top QB's this year, with Lamar Jackson and Russel Wilson. Baltimore's D was able to keep Watson and the Houston offense in check on Sunday. In the first half the Texans had 102 yards, the fewest for Houston in any game with Watson starting. Houston actually took Watson out of the game in the fourth quarter when they trailed 41-7. IT was one of the worst showings of his career. As for the Ravens, they had gotten off to a slow start on that side of the ball, but it now appears as they are getting hot. And they're doing it at the right time. Hey they've won two Super Bowls on the strength of the defense, so who knows.

Worst:
Washington Redskins Offense
We all know that the Redskins aren't very good, and neither are the team they played on Sunday in the Jets. But it was Washington who may have laid an egg worse than expected. Dwayne Haskins had a below average day, which was capped off by a pick early in the fourth quarter. After going for about a month without scoring a touchdown, Washington scored two late, in a 3417 loss to the Jets. But its much more than that. Washington has scored 3, 7, 17, 0, 9, 9 and 17 points in their last seven games. Haskins has been in a bad spot in DC because he's gotten no support really from the weapons around him. The fact that they've played as bad as they had and looked just as flat against the Jets says something. They need to right the ship, and quickly, if things are ever going to improve in DC

Best:
Dak Prescott, Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
There had been a thought process around the league that Dak Prescott had to really rely on Zeke Elliott and the run game to be a success. Dak proved on Sunday that he doesn't need the run game, he can do it all on his own. It was in a 35-27 Cowboys win over the Lions that Dak showed himself to be just a solid as anybody. Case in point he went 29 of 45 for 444 yards and three touchdowns. he's been key in critical situations too. On third downs against the Lions, he completed 7 of 11 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Not only could these kind of performances put him in the MVP hunt but also could be a huge bargaining chip come contract time.

Worst:
Jameis Winston, Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay can't catch a break this year. As a matter of fact, despite a vote of confidence going into the week, some Bucs fans are getting tired of dealing with Jameis Winston under center. Sunday, in a 34-17 loss to the Saints, Winston wasn't able to help quiet those doubters. Sure, he threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns. But he had four picks, one of them was a pick-six of the season. He overthrew a pass that was intercepted by Marcus Williams and taken back for the game-ending score. Then for good measure, Winston threw his fourth interception of the day with the Buccaneers at the Saints’ 1-yard line. He's not going to get over the hump making mistakes like this and could soon find himself out of a starting job.

Best:
Todd Gurley, Running Back Los Angeles Rams
There had been question marks about the offensive line for the Rams for part of this year, which might explain why the team has been underachieving. But the line managed to fix itself in the Rams 17-7 win over the Bears. During the win over Chicago, the Rams moved a few players around on the line and it seemed to work. Nobody benefited more from that fact than Gurley. When the day was over, GHurley had posted a season-high 133 yards from scrimmage and tied his season-high rushing yards with 97 to go with one score. If the Rams want to have any chance of getting back to a level of dominance this needs to be the level of norm for the Rams.

Worst:
Kyle Allen, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
When he first got the starting nod in relief of an injured Cam Newton, it looked really really good for Kyle Allen. But, over the last four games, my how the might have fallen. Over the last four week's, Allen has looked below average, and that was on display on Sunday in a stunning 29-3 Panthers loss to the Falcons. Allen has thrown nine picks in the last four games, including four against Atlanta, and in that same four week stretch, he's thrown a grand total of three touchdown passes. He's starting to look like all the hype after his first four starts is really starting to come back down to Earth, Maybe all the hype was too premature

Best:
San Francisco 49ers
Well it wasn't exactly pretty, but never the less a win is a win. San Francisco kept their pace on top of the NFC West with a 36-26 win over Arizona. It was thanks to a late game winning drive by Jimmy Garoppolo, who had himself a pretty good day. He was picked twice and sacked twice, but threw for 454 yards going 24 of 45. They did what they had to do as a team to stay a game ahead of Seattle, which is what they were hoping for.

Worst:
Houston Texans
We talked about this earlier from the Baltimore side of things, now here's the Houston point of view. Houston had two weeks to get ready for what was to come with a red hot Ravens team. Houston laid an egg in that 41-7 loss to Baltimore and it couldn't have come at a worse time for Houston. We already talked about what the defense did to this Houston attack. But it's also on the Texans D as well. They had no answer for Lamar Jackson who rushed for 86 yards on just 8 carries. To make this worse, Houston lost its strangle hold on top of the AFC South, thanks to Indy beating Jacksonville. L:ucky, Houston can change that quickly, as they play the Colts this week.

MLB Hands Out Hardware

Oh award season is here. Its the time of year when Major League Baseball awards the best of the best  It's the time of year to honor the best individual achievements in this great team sport. Some of the awards seemed like possible runaway's, while others seemed like tight races. With that being said, lets take a look at who was named the best of the best.

Gold Glove:
National League:
Catcher: J.T. Realmuto, Phillies (1st career Gold Glove)
1st Base: Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (3rd career Gold Glove)
2nd Base: Kolten Wong, Cardinals (1st career Gold Glove)
3rd Base: Nolan Arenado, Rockies (7th career Gold Glove)
Shortstop: Nick Ahmed, Diamondbacks (2nd career Gold Glove)
Left Field: David Peralta, Diamondbacks (1st career Gold Glove)
Center Field: Lorenzo Cain, Brewers (1st career Gold Glove)
Right Field: Cody Bellinger, Dodgers (1st career Gold Glove)
Pitcher: Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks (6th career Gold Glove)

American League:
Catcher: Roberto Pérez, Indians (1st career Gold Glove)
1st Base: Matt Olson, Athletics (2nd career Gold Glove)
2nd Base: Yolmer Sánchez, White Sox (1st career Gold Glove)
3rd Base: Matt Chapman, Athletics (2nd career Gold Glove)
Shortstop: Francisco Lindor, Indians (2nd career Gold Glove)
Left Field: Alex Gordon, Royals (7th career Gold Glove)
Center Field: Kevin Kiermaier, Rays (3rd career Gold Glove)
Right Field: Mookie Betts, Red Sox (4th career Gold Glove)
Pitcher: Mike Leake, Mariners (1st career Gold Glove)

Manager Of The Year:
American League: Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins
There could be some matter of a debate here. Baldelli finished with ten more votes than Boone for Manager of the Year, but I really think a case should be made for a closer race. Yes, the Yankees had that expectation to win with the lineup they had, but with all the injuries that the Bombers got hit with during the course of the year, the fact that they finished with 103 wins and won the East says a lot about what Boone did. At the end of the day, the Yankees had the expectation to be at the top of the East, while the Twins had minimal expectations for a division title. All Minnesota went out and did was have a record setting home run season, win 101 games and claim the AL Central title. No doubt the right decision was made, but I would have thought that the decision would have been closer.

National League: Mike Schildt, St Louis Cardinals
Taking a team to a division title win is pretty impressive. St Louis was a team that was expected to finish middle of the pack in the Central. But Schildt gave his team the confidence to go out there and play there best day in and day out. This was a team that was a 44-44 baseball team at the Break. They won 47 games the rest of the year. He ascended to the manager’s job on an interim basis in July 2018 following Mike Matheny’s firing and was given the full-time position at the end of that season. What he managed to do was lift the Cards to the first division title since 2015.

Rookie Of The Year:
American League: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
This was almost a run away in the AL. Actually it was a runaway as Alvarez snagged every first place vote for Rookie of the Year and why not. He was the best all around rookie in the AL this year. Scoring 98 runs, driving in 78 while smashing 27 home runs and hitting .313 for the year. Oh yeah, he did it all in 87 games. Just imagine the numbers that Alvarez could have put up had he played the entire year in Houston instead of only part of the year.

National League:  Pete Alonso, New York Mets
This one should have been pretty easy to predict. A little surprising that Mike Soraka got one first place vote for NL Rookie of the Year, which is all that stopped Alonso from the clean sweep. He shattered a lot of not only rookie but club records for the Mets. He finished the year hitting .260, which was a little low for my liking, but he did score 103 runs, driving in 120 and oh yeah became the first player in the history of the New York Mets to ever hit more than 50 home runs in a season. He finished the year with 53 which set the Major League record for most home runs in a season. The only thing I'd like to see Pete improve upon next year is that batting average. Other than that, there's a lot to like going into next year with Pistol Pete

Cy Young Award:
American League: Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
This came as a bit of a surprise, when you consider that his teammate had the better year than he did.Verlander finished with four more first place votes than Cole did, but it really could have gone to either guy. Both finished with 20 wins. Verlander had 21 while Cole had 20, while Cole had more strikeouts and a lower ERA. Part of the reason could be that Verlander pitched more innings than Cole did. Either way, both guys had a great year and were worthy of the award.

National League: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
Got a little nerve racking as to who was going to walk away with the award, but it stays in New York for the 2nd year in a row. It seems like the National League likes to keep back to back winners. Before Jake won his back to back, Max Scherzer won back to back for the Nationals. Before that it was Jake Arrietta, and before that it was Clayton Kersahw in back to back years. That's becoming a trend in the NL. Jake might not have had the win numbers, finishing with just 11. That's only because the Mets couldn't score for him. He was dominating games like few others in the league. Hyun Jin-Ryu could have come closer in the voting had he matched Jake in total starts. Didn't happen. Jake had a slighlty higher ERA but was the better overall pitcher and deserving of the award.

Most Valuable Player:
American League: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
I'm sorry, but as much as I love watching Mike Trout play baseball, I don't feel he should have won it this year. Yes he lead the league with 45 home runs, drove in 104 runs, scored 110 and hit .291 on the year, all while missing the final month of the year with an injury. Had he played a full year he would have hit closer to =, if not over .300. I'm not denying his greatness or the impact he had on baseball. All I'm saying is, he wasn't the most valuable to his team in   the AL this year. That goes to DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees, who finished 4th. Hell Alex Bregman was the only other player to get first place votes, finishing four back of Trout. DJ should at leat gotten more consideration. Congrats to the best player in the game for winning MVP.

National League: Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
The city of Angels is cleaning house on the MVP award this year. First Trout and now Bellinger. Could also make more of an argument for Anthony Rendon, who hit more homers and drove in more runs. I know WAR is looked at a lot more, but the other numbers still count, in my mind. Rendon was more of an impact player for the Nationals and their turn around then Bellinger was in LA. Don't get me wrong, Bellinger was a huge reason why the Dodgers had the best record in the NL, but what Rendon was able to help power in Washington was a bigger deal to me.

Is This Real Life?

It was a year ago that the New York Islanders put the hockey world on it's ear. They had surprised a lot of people by not only making the playoffs, but sweeping the Penguins in the opening round. The roster had gone through some changes from the end of last season. Well going into the middle of November, and it looks like the Islanders might get a repeat of last season. Is this jumping the gun? Possibly. But can it happen? Possibly.

As of this writing, the Islanders have a 12 game point streak and won 11 of those 12 games. The one game they didn't win, was an overtime loss to the Penguins after blowing a three goal third period lead. And now they have another test tonight as John Tavares and the Maple Leafs make a trip to the Coliseum in a game that's going to be a good test.

I have to admit, when this year got going I was a little nervous about a couple of things. One was in goal. Thomas Greiss has been fine, which I've come to expect from him during his time with the team. I was nervous about Semyon Varlamov and how well he was going to try and fill the pads of Robin Lehner, who played out of his mind in the Isles net. After the first three games, it looked like the Islanders might have come back down to earth.

Then something happened. The Islanders found there legs. And they just kept winning. It started with a shootout win over the Panthers and a big comeback overtime win over the Blues. And the game that ended the streak, the loss to the Pens, it looked like an old Islanders performance, blowing a lead late in the game. To prove that it wasn't going to keep happening, the Isles got back to their winning ways a couple nights later in beating the Panthers.

That's why I said tonight's game is going to be a real test. Toronto is still a very good team and are still expected to be a heavy hitter come playoff time in the East. Yes, this is asking a lot of the Islanders to keep playing at this level the entire year. As long as they can keep the bad nights to a minimum, then they should be in good shape.

And that's why I'm saying I am a little surprised and very happy. Most teams that are serious cup contenders have at least two superstar elite players. New York has one in Matthew Barzal. That's it for elite level talent. There's no Robin to the Barzal Batman. At least not right now I feel, Once they can get that, this team will be a serious threat. I do like what I'm seeing on Long Island.

Best & Worst Of NFL Week NIne

We got the second half of the NFL season off and running in a big way in week nine. We went into the week having two unbeaten teams, and now were down to one, as the New England Patriots fell to Baltimore. And the Dolphins get away from going 0-16 on the year with a win over the hopeless Jets. We saw Russell Wilson up his game and reach a possible MVP level. And we saw a once great kicker start to hit the slide. Some entertaining football took place in week nine, as did some sloppy games. Lets get right into it. Here's some of the best and worst performances from the week that was in the NFL.

Best:
Baltimore Ravens
This game was a statement game. It made a statement for two reasons. One the New England Patriots are human. And two the Baltimore Ravens are stepping up to becoming one of the elite teams and a threat in the AFC. Baltimore dominated the game, to the tune of a 37-20 win over the defending champions. And Baltimore had found a way to make the Patriots defense look normal, for starters by finding holes to be able to run through and rack up over 200 rush yards on the day. Lamar Jackson, by hanging onto the ball a little longer, was able to extend plays and make New England scramble. And its not just the offense, the Baltimore defense got New England out of its rhythm. The pass rush smothered Brady and the secondary jammed Pats receivers. Now if Baltimore can build off this performance next week, then they have truly turned the corner to becoming one of the elite teams in this league.

Worst:
New York Jets
To say that this game on Sunday was embarrassing would be a mild understatement. You can't even beat the Dolphins, a team that looked like a pushover most of the year. Miami walked away with a 26-18 win, its first on the season. Sure, there area  few injuries that the Jets have had to deal with, but that's no excuse for Sam Darnold's poor performance. He's taken more than a few steps backwards this year and looks like a shell of the QB awe saw last season, It's not just him, it falls on the coaches too. Adam Gase has been horrible at trying to game plan and his line can't give Sam any time to really be able to make a play. This team is just a mess, something that doesn't look like its going to get cleaned up anytime soon.

Best:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
There's been quite a few times this season where Wilson has been making a claim for MVP this year, and this week's performance only added to it. Seattle had a big week, walking away with a 40-34 win over Tampa Bay and Wilson's performance was a huge reason why the Seahawks got the win. He went 29 of 43 for 378 yards and another eye popping five touchdowns. To make this more impressive, Wilson has 20 touchdowns and only one pick on the year, becoming the 2nd player since 1950 to do that through the first nine games of the season. The other? Drew Brees last year. What Wilson has been able to do this year is elevate the rest of his teammates to be able to play at his level. Seattle is playing great football and he is a big reason why.

Worst:
Adam Vinatieri, Kicker Indianapolis Colts
It feels weird saying this but, one of the more reliable kickers in league history has started to fault. He had an off week two weeks ago but managed to turn it around and kick a game winner last week. Then this week, he goes back to what we saw three weeks ago. The Steelers won 26-24 over the Colts and it was thanks to a really bad miss from Vinatieri. He pushed a 43 yard attempt so far to the left it wasn't and still isn't, fathomable that a guy who's been as good as he has, for as long as he has, was missing kicks like that.

Best:
Christian McCaffery, Running Back Carolina Panthers
We made the argument earlier for Russell Wilson being the MVP, well you can also put this guy in that argument as well. Carolina came away with a 30-20 win over Tennessee and McCaffery was a big reason for that. He finished the day with 24 carries for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. What really stood out on this day was the 58 yard touchdown run late in the game that helped salt away the win for the Panthers. There was some question as to whether or not the Panthers would fade this year when Cam newton got hurt, but McCaffery has been a beast and has carried the Panthers, keeping them in the hunt in a tough NFC. If Carolina wants to stand any chance, they need to keep their star back healthy and on the field.

Worst:
Gardner Minshew, Quarterback Jacksonville Jaguars
When Nick Foles went down with injury, Jacksonville had no choice but to go with a sixth round rookie pick in order to field a starting QB. For a while it worked. But then again, there are times when he reminds everybody that he was a sixth round pick. Look at Sunday, as Houston pounded Jacksonville 26-3. In this game, Minshew went 27 for 47 for 309 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also lost two fumbles and despite the 309 yards, didn’t make any meaningful plays. There are times when Minshew has looked great and should be the guy to take the team the rest of the way. And at the same time, he's had performances that make you think it might not be such a bad idea to go back to Nick Foles when he comes back from injury.

Best:
Andy Reid Head Coach Kansas City Chiefs
He's looking like a genius after the Kansas City 26-23 win over Minnesota on Sunday. With Patrick Mahomes out hurt, KC has gone to Matt More under center.  He was pretty efficient on Sunday completing 25 of 35 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. Reid had his team not only ready, but made the adjustments needed to get the Chiefs in a position to win without their MVP level QB.

Worst:
Matt Nagy, Head Coach Chicago Bears
At what point do you consider throwing the towel in with Nagy in Chicago? He had no confidence , or answers for that matter, for the Bears in their 22-14 loss to the Eagles. Chicago was held to just nine total yards of offense in the first half. NINE. That's going Jets, Bengals and redskins level bad. Other teams have managed to make it without their number one quarterback, but Chicago hasn't been able to do it. Nagy was coach of the year with the Bears last year, but this year its slipping, and slipping fast

2019-20 NBA Season Preview

The time has finally arrived. The National Basketball Association is kicking off the 2019-20 regular season. Since the Toronto Raptors claimed their first ever title last season, a lot has changed around the league. The balance of power in the NBA has potentially changed going into this season. Since that time, there's been quite a few changes made around the league. We have new coaches in new cities,familiar faces in new places, while some familiar faces have decided to hang up the sneakers and call it a career. So lets take a look at some of what has gone down since last season ended.

The end of last season saw the end of some pretty good careers. Dwyane Wade, Channing Frye, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tony Parker are the biggst names to announce their retirement. Vince Carter has also said that this season will be his last in the league. From the end of last year, some teams have gotten new bench bosses. Cleveland (John Beilein), Memphis (Taylor Jenkins), Sacramento (Luke Walton), Los Angeles Lakers (Frank Vogel) and Phoenix (Monty Williams) will all be working with new coaches. This year also has some pretty good combos on teams with familiar faces going to new places. The biggest names moving where Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant going to Brooklyn. Kawhi Leonard made a big splash by heading to LA to play for the Clippers. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are both joining LeBron with the Lakers, while Taj Gibson and Julius Randle where the biggest free agent additions by the Knicks.

Lets not waste any more time. Here's how I see the 2019-20 NBA season going down

Western Conference:
1. Denver Nuggets (54-28: 1st Northwest Division)
54 wins and a division title last year wasn't enough for the Nuggets they want more. And why not. Denver kept most of it's club in tact from a season ago. Nikola Jokic is the undisputed leader on this team and he's only 24 years old.He's not alone. Paul Milsap and Jamal Murray make a pretty good supporting cast,a s is Will Barton, who is sort of a jack of all trades for the Nuggets.. Michael Porter Jr. is going to be a stud for the Nuggets coming off the bench this year in Denver. Denver is a balanced and deep team that's going to go on a long playoff run this year.

2. Los Angeles Clippers (53-29: 1st Pacific Division)
A team that finished behind Golden State a year ago really got better, on paper, this year. The two biggest names added for this team were Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Then you have a guy like Lou Williams coming off the bench. Patrick Beverley is also going to be a big impact player this year as well. Look, this is a Clippers team that did win 48 games last year and finished second behind the Warriors in the Pacific last year. That was without a superstar player. Now they have two of them. Doc Rivers has something to run with.

3. Utah Jazz (52-30: 2nd Northwest Division)
Hey 50 wins isn't too bad a season, neither is finishing in 3rd place in your stacked division. That's what Utah did last year and they look to improve upon that this year. Mike Conely and Rudy Gobert are going to be leading the charge in Utah, and they got some help. Bojan Bogdanović will be a huge addition at power forward. Throw Emmanuel Mudiay as a perfect role player to be coming off the bench and Utah has something. Still say they may stumble in the playoffs, as they are a year or so away from being a MAJOR player in the West. We all know what goes on in the regular season gets thrown out the window come playoff time.

4. Houston Rockets (52-30: 1st Southwest Division)
53 wins and a division title for the Rockets last year has them tasting it again this year. Houston wants to get better and they took a step towards doing that very thing this year. Already had a superstar in James Harden. They got rid of Chris Paul, sending him to the Thunder along with draft picks. In return, the Rockets got Russel Westbrook, who is a double double machine. They have depth on this team too. Austin Rivers, Nen, Tyson Chandler too. Its going to be a good year for the Rockets. They'll again be near the top in the West and could be a heavy hitter with the Clippers and Nuggets come playoff time.

5. Los Angeles Lakers (51-31: 2nd Pacific Division)
Last year was the first time in eight years that Lebron missed the finals. hell the Lakers missed the playoffs altogether. But LA got a lot better in the offseason. Anthony Davis is now added into the mix, giving the Lakers a very solid one-two punch. They have depth players and balnce to go with them. Boogie Cousins is now in the lineup but it depends on his health. Rajon Rondo could prove he could still be a force Danny Green and JaVal McGee round out the starting five. There's a few guys that are battling injuries at the start of the year, but once they get healthy, the Lakers could be back near the top in the Western Conference.

6. Portland Trail Blazers (49-33: 3rd Northwest Division)
High expectations for Portland, who had a huge 2nd place finish in the division a season ago, going all the way to the conference finals, before falling to the Warriors. This team got deeper by bringing in Hassan Whiteside via trade, putting him out there with CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, they have something to build on. Mario Hezonja and Kent Bazemore are going to add a little more depth. They have a good team but, we say this almost every year with this conference, the West is loaded. Portland will be able to compete in the West but it won't be enough to get to the West finals again.

7. Golden State Warriors (46-36: 3rd Pacific Division)
This team has been the class of the Western Conference for a long time now, appearing in five straight NBA finals, a record that won't be touched for some time now. But a lot has changed for the Warriors. Curry and Green are still in place, Thompson is out for the year with a ACL injury. No Durant, he's hurt and in Brooklyn. And some of there other depth players are gone as well. D'Angello Russell was brought in from Brooklyn in a sign and trade with Durant, so he does provide some role playing depth,. But this is a huge step back for the Warriors. They can still be good enough to get a playoff spot, but its going to be a miracle if they want to stand a chance at a deep playoff run.

8. San Antonio Spurs (44-38: 2nd Southwest Division)
Its one of the longest streaks in not only NBA history but in all of sports. The Spurs haven't missed the NBA playoffs since 1997. Oh and most of the core group is still hear from last season. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan are again the focal points of that offense with Bryn Forbes coming off the year he had last year, will be looking to build on it this year. They have some depth with guys like Patty Miills and Rudy Guy coming off the bench. There is a little bit of depth that this Spurs team can build off of. But when you consider how good the other seven teams are ahead of them, its going to be tough to move up much, if at all, in the Western Conference.

9. Dallas Mavericks (42-40: 3rd Southwest Division)
Its going to be close for the 2nd team to come out of the Southwest, but Dallas just misses out. No denying they've got a solid team. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are going to be the selling points for Dallas. KP is coming back off his knee injury, so who knows what kind of shape he's in or how well he's going to respond. You have some nice role players with J.J. Barea, Seth Curry and Tim Hardaway Jr. coming off the bench. But lets face it, this team isn't close to being truly deep enough to really make a run for themselves in this conference. Solid team, but not good enough to get over the hump and into the playoffs.

10. Sacramento Kings (39-43: 4th Pacific Division)
Kings did a lot of retooling in the offseason, adding in some solid names to their lineup. Trevor Ariza was brought in to add some help to the Kings for guys like Harrison Barnes. Expect big standout years from guys like Buddy Heild and De'Aaron Fox. it's not going to be pretty for the Suns in a tough and top heavy Western Conference, but they have, on paper at least, enough talent to possibly hang around a little while.

11. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-46: 4th Northwest Division)
Last year was a playoff year for the Thunder, but they lost two key pieces in the offseason and could take a major step back this year. Russell Westbrook is in Houston, while Paul George is in LA. Sure getting Chris Paul in this lineup is a good piece to add and can provide some leadership. you also grabbed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari in the Paul trade. Throw in Steve Adams and you got a decent starting five. But what is going to really hurt the Thunder in a deep West, is lack of depth

12. New Orleans Pelicans (31-51: 4th Southwest Division)
It was bad enough for the Pelicans last year, winning 33 games with Anthony Davis in the lineup. Now Davis isn't here, as he took his talents out to Los Angeles. Lonzo Ball came over in the trade and is expected to be a solid player for this team. No doubt the leaders in New Orleans are JJ Redick and Brandon Ingram. Jrue Holiday is the other key member of the Pelicans offense, but again, this team doesn't have a top tier talent in the lineup this year, which means taking a big step back from a season ago.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-52: 5th Northwest division)
No argument here that Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be a big star in this game, and right now Minnesota has him locked up. He does have a decent support staff in the starting five along with Jeff Teague and Andrew Wiggins, but when you look at things as they are, how much impressive depth does this Timberwolves team really have? They h=might have had a little bit better of odds had they played in the East, but that doesn't happen. They are in a loaded and tough Western Conference.

14. Phoenix Suns (30-52: 5th Pacific Division)
Talk about a retool. Phoenix is looking like a totally different basketball team. Ricky Rubio, Dario Saric, Aron Baynes and more are in. Dragan Bender, Jamal Crawford, Troy Daniels, Richaun Holmes, Josh Jackson, De'Anthony Melton and TJ Warren are out. With the changes that have already been made, don't expect much in terms of wins for Phoenix.

15. Memphis Grizzles (28-54: 5th Place Southwest Division)
Ja Morat being drafted 2nd overall could be something big down the line. There might be some key pieces in place in Memphis, when you combine him with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke, both of whom are loaded with potential. Kyle Anderson and Jonas Valanciunas are young(ish) and perhaps underrated. Going to be a while before they contend, but its something to build off of.

Eastern Conference:
1. Milwaukee Bucks (58-24: 1st Central Division)
Last season for the Bucks was a magical one, as it concluded with 60 wins. This year, while still a division title well within reach, won't be the same as last year. The starting five is going to be really tough to deal with. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in the Eastern Conference. Throw him in with Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and Wesley Matthews and you got a solid starting five that can go against anybody. They are still a talented team, there's no arguing that at all. But, there is an explanation for the drop off in wins for this year, compared to last. Talent has been more evenly distributed throughout the league. Going to be some tougher competition this year for the Bucks to have to go against. Still they're a good team and should have no problem taking this division.

2. Philadelphia 76ers (56-26: 1st Atlantic Division)
This Sixers team has the best shot this year to be able to stand toe to toe with the Bucks at the top of the Eastern Conference. And why not, its a loaded starting five. Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Joel Embiid, Al Horford and Tobias Harris are going to be tough to try and contain. Plus you got two solid guys coming of the bench in Tobias Harris and Trey Burke. Same argument here, in that this team is deep and balanced and could be a very dangerous team to come out of the East. A lot of it is going to rely on Embiid if he can stay healthy. That happens, the Sixers are going to be deadly.

3. Boston Celtics (52-30: 2nd Atlantic Division)
Boston looks a lot different from a season ago. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are both gone. Losing Horford is a big loss, because its hard to replace his contributions as a passer, shooter and defender with Enes Kanter, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams III. But hey, there's still plenty of solid talent on this Celtics team. Gordon Hayward, Jayson Taytum, Jayden Brown and Kemba Walker join Kanter in the Celtics starting five. This team can have a solid defense and all around game, but missing two guys could hurt them just a little bit.

4. Miami Heat (48-34: 1st Southeast Division)
This was a 39 win team last year who's going to make a big step up in the East this year. Jistise Winslow and Jimmy Butler are going to make for a hell of a one two punch to carry this Miami offense. Adding in Meyers Leonard is a nice piece for the Heat to have to help balance out their attack. But Butler is going to be the key guy for this team, he could be a top twenty player in this league. You know its going to be good if you have Goran Dragic coming off the bench. Miami is going to be solid and should be able to win a division title.

5. Toronto Raptors (46-36: 3rd Atlantic Division)
Losing Kawhi Leonard was a pretty big blow for the defending NBA champions. So was losing Danny Green, both of whom headed for Los Angeles. But this team is still pretty good. Kyle Lowery is going to be the focal point for the True North's offense. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson came in from Brooklyn as a backup to Pascal Siakam. Marc Gasol came back as well, which adds another layer for this attack. Add in the depth of having guys like Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka (and his defense) and you got something in Toronto. there is still plenty of talent on this Raptors team, but the talent lost is going to be tough to overcome North of the Boarder this season.

6. Brooklyn Nets (43-39: 4th in Atlantic Division)
Making the playoffs last year was good, but the Nets want more than just good. They got it with the two big deals over the summer. Kevin Durant is out for the year due to injury, but when he comes back, he's going to make a dangerous weapon for the Nets. Add him with Kyrie Irving, and Brooklyn has one hell of a one two punch. They are both an upgrade over D'Angelo Russel, who's now out West. And its not just those two guys that the Nets have to power this team. Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan are going to be impact starters with Irving. You got Spencer Dinwiddie and Jared Allen coming off the bench. This Nets team has depth and is going in the right direction. When they can be at full health, the sky is the limit in Brooklyn.

7. Indiana Pacers (42-40: 2nd Central Division)
If this team can stay healthy, they might have the tools to be able to pass the Nets in the standings. If they can stay on the court. Victor Olidapo is hurt and going to be on the mend for a while. Darren Collison's sudden retirement, along with Thaddeus Young's departure will be tough to overcome for the Pacers. They will still be good enough to finish over .500 and be in a playoff spot. They've got solid players with the likes of Miles Turner starting and Justin Holiday coming off the bench. Wouldn't say they are going to be a major player in this conference, but they're good enough to reach the post season.

8. Orlando Magic (41-41: 2nd Southeast Division)
They made the playoffs a year ago, and should, while taking a bit of a step back this year, make the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row. Markelle Fultz will be powering this Magic team this year, and hopefully getting some quality support. Case in point, Nikola Vucevic and Jonathan Isaac are going to be counted on to be solid to above average performers to give Fultz the support he needs. It may not be the flashiest team in the league, but it will be good enough to get into the post season.

9. Detroit Pistons (40-42: 3rd Central Division)
Detroit seems like one of those teams that was able to tread water this offseason. Joe Johnson was cut and Zaza Pachulia retired. Leading the charge in Detroit are Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, who can still be top end talent. They also got a potential young star in Luke Kennard, who has the talent to be a good player. But Detroit lacks the depth to really be a solid team in this Eastern Conference.

10. Atlanta Hawks (36-46: 3rd Southeast Division)
Atlanta has a pretty solid future ahead of it. It's got a young core that consists of John Collins, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter. if he can every stay healthy and maybe find a game, Atlanta could have an unearthed gem in Jabari Parker, but injuries have cost hi/m during his career. There's a chance that Atlanta could surprise a few teams, but not quite yet.

11. Chicago Bulls (35-47: 4th Central Division)
There could be a sign of hope in the Windy City for Basketball. Just look at who they have starting. Tomas Satoransky, Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Thaddeus Young and Lauri Markkanen is certainly intriguing, as is throwing in a guy like Wendell Carter Jr. who can either start or come off the bench. Chicago has a few good pieces, but looks like they're a couple of years away from contending.

12. Washington Wizards (30-52: 4th Southeast Division)
This is going to be a big year, a real test year for Bradley Beal. He going to have to, with the minutes he going to be getting. Otto Porter is gone and John Wall aren't factors anymore. Sure, Ish Smith and Isaiah Thomas came aboard in Washington, but it doesn't look pretty for baskeball in our Nations Capital.

13. Charlotte Hornets (29-53: 5th Southeast Division)
Talk about a strange offseason in Charlotte. Losing Kemba Walker is a big blow. But grossly overpaying Terry Rozier to try and replace him is another thing. He's nowhere close to the level of Kemba and damn sure not at that price tag. Look they have some nice parts in Charlotte, with guys like Miles Bridges, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willy Hernangomez. At the end of the day, its not going to get them anywhere close to where they need to be.

14 New York Knicks (28-54: 5th Atlantic Division)
You missed out on hitting the mark on max contract players. This coming after missing out on having the first pick in the Draft. It's tough being a Knicks fan. Sure, selecting RJ Barrett out of Duke was a good pickup. Getting Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis and Marcus Morris are all nice fits. But its really putting a band aid on a huge rebuild. Doesn't look like there's going to be much help coming in the future for the Knicks. I do feel bad for die hard, real Knicks fans who have to suffer through watching this franchise go in the direction its going.

15. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-63:  5th Central Division)
A small part of me really feels bad for Kevin Love, who's stuck with no real supporting cast around him in Cleveland. He's got really nothing with him. This squad just isn't ready to win a ton of meaningful games. And there isn't a single surefire future star on the roster.

NBA Finals: Clippers over 76ers!

Was DJ Snubbed?

He had a year for the ages in the Bronx. For an injury riddled team, DJ LeMahieu stepped into a role and performed it swimmingly. Hell he was a big reason that the Yankees were able to do what they did this year. He was a leader on this team, even hearing MVP chants from the Yankees faithful as the year went on. Sure the fans wanted it, but the Baseball writers didn't see it that way. On Tuesday, Major League Baseball announced the finalists for MVP of the American League, and DJ didn't make the list.

The finalists for MVP this year are Mike Trout of the Angels, Marcus Semien of the Athletics and Alex Bregman of the Astros are the three finalists for the award this year. DJ wasn't even nominated as a finalist and that is a crying shame.

Bregman and Trout are both deserving to be in the final race. Trout hit .291 with 45 home runs, the second most in the American League, and 104 RBI's. He also scored 110 runs, tied for 6th in the league. Bregman hit .296 with 41 home runs, 112 RBI's and 112 run scored. Semien had a .285 batting average, with 33 homers, 92 RBI and 123 runs scored. All solid numbers. But LeMahieu had just as good numbers. DJ hit .327 with 26 home runs, 102 RBI's and 109 runs.

Now I know Semien played every game, but come on, DJ put up better numbers than he did. I also know that Oakland got a Wild Card Spot, and no denying that Semien was a huge reason for that. But what DJ did with an injury riddled Yankee team is more impressive. Bregman and Trout both had outstanding seasons and were deserving of being in the race. But facts are that Semien, while good, couldn't be at the level of what DJ did in the Bronx.

Again, I'm not taking anything away from what all three finalists did this year, they put up great numbers. But DJ deserved to have his name in that consideration more than Semien did. He put up the better numbers and was one of the best players in all of the American League this year.

DJ, like most of us, should feel a little annoyed that he got left out for MVP, but he should still feel very proud of the year that he had.