What up with the NBDL?

So I'm drunk in Lincoln, NE - again - and I'm bored. I have three Newcastles in the bathroom sink - with ice - and figured, "why not figure out what's up with the whole NBDL thing?" Now, I dont have the energy or soberness to figure out the rules and what not with the minor league thing, so instead, I'll just find some players who are in the league. Couple quick points:

1. These people are all better than Rick Rickert, who plays in the Australian YMCA league.

2. This Craig Monroe trade pisses me off. It's like, they're doing something just to do something and saying, "Hey, look at us. We're doing something." Well screw that. Craig Monroe is a chomo.

3. It's nice to be able to find Seinfeld on TV at pretty much any moment.

4. This is why having a bottle opener on your key chain makes you smart and prepared, not immature.

5. If I'm asleep by 3, I can still get 6 hours of sleep. Sweet.

6. I'm going to be a father. This scares me, and should probably scare all of you.

7. I found out I officially have a reputation in my company as a "Big Drinker." I can't decide if this is awesome, or kind of a bad thing. Since I'm drunk right now, I"m going to go with "Awesome."

On to the fake basketball league:

Albuquerque Thunderbirds: Serge Angounou (Ariz St), Kris Collins (New Mex), Darvin Ham (Tex Tech), Daniel Horton (Mich). Obviously the big news here is Kris Collins. I don't actually remember all the crap behind him, but I know he was a Gopher at one point or another, and it clearly didn't work out. I think he was too dumb or something. Darvin Ham once broke a backboard (might have been twice), and Horton was supposed to be a pretty good player at Michigan. He seemed to be pretty solid oh my god Eliza Dushku is on that seventies show and how did I not know that? That chick is so way hot.

Anaheim Arsenal: Guillermo Diaz (Miami), Anthony Harris (Miami), Steven Smith (LaSalle), Marquis Webb (Rutgers). Diaz and Harris were a pretty dynamic show at Miami. I have to think having two guards who were pretty good in college and are still together can only help. Not help getting them to the NBA, because clearly they kind of suck since they are in this league, but still. Smith was the best player at LaSalle since Lionel Simmons, and dominated the A-10 - which obviously means nothing. Webb was basically known just since Quincy Douby was so good.

Austin Toros: Justin Bowen (UIC), Ashanti Cook (G-Town), Kevin Pittsnogle (WVU). Bad team. I only included Bowen here because he went to UIC, and my buddy JC and I saw him play in an exhibition several years ago where they had a VIP booth we couldnt' get into, despite his friend who was supposedly a high roller there. Cook was terrible, and obviously Pittsnogle is a joke. When you're tall, for the love of god please try to play in the post once in a while, there are enough short people who can only shoot outside. Weird, kind of like JC in intramurals. Tall, yet too afraid to play downlow and only roam about the three point line. Rickert-like. They also have a guy from Tarleton State, new home of Limar Wilson. So there's hope for him yet.

Bakersfield Jam: Brandon Bowman (GTown). This team is boring because I'm hardly heard on any of their guys - I'm gong to assume they suck. Plus, the Jam? Really? Did you have a contest to name your team and only invite retarded fifth graders to submit nicknames? Brutal. I also actually like Bowman quite a bit, and still think he could be a good player. He's by far the best player out of this group of clowns so far.

Colorado 14ers: Julian Sensley (Hawaii), Kelly Whitney (Seton Hall). Bad. Also bad name. This is Rickert's former team, but I guess he couldn't crack this tough roster of guys who I've never heard of other than two I think I maybe kind of know who they are. I think Sensley was a guy who put up good numbers for Hawaii every year, and always kind of thought about going pro but never did. Probably shouldn't have. Not entirely sure who Whitney was, but I think he played with Holloway, and that guy was the fucking man.

Dakota Wizards: Blake Ahearn (Mizz St), Will Frisby (Miami), Armein Kirkland (Cincy), David Palmer (South Utah). Ahearn, if I remember correctly, was one of the best free throw shooters in collegiate history. Frisby had a sweet name. I saw a game once where Kirkland was awesome, but I think it was one of his only good games - ever. David Palmer was a hell of a kick returner for the Vikings - also one of 2P's favorite players ever.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants: Shagari Alleyne (Kentucky), Justin Cage (Xavier), Earl Calloway (Indiana), Roderick Wilmont (Indiana), Sammy Mejia (DePaul), Lukasz Obrzut (Kentucky). Tubby Smith's two biggest mistakes ever might be on this team, in Alleyne and Obrzut. Very tall, and very retarded, these two never really amounted to much - yet they would have been awesome at the U of MN, so keep that in mind. Two other teammates here in the Indiana guards, both pretty solid players. Mejia is the kind of player who might still make the NBA at some point. Also that nickname is so stupid it's awesome.

Idaho Stampede: Randy Livingston (LSU), Brent Petway (Michigan). Petway was crazy athletic, and is still young enough to possibly develop into a decent player. Livingston I swear has been around since the Chris Jackson era. I think he hurt his knee 17 times, and is still hanging around the fringes of the NBA, so good for him.

Iowa Energy: Jeff Horner (Iowa). Yep, Jeff Horner's all they got. That guy was always a little weiner. Like Wojo from Duke with less gay and more offense.

L.A. D-Fenders: Sean Banks (Memphis), Errick Craven (USC), Jelani McCoy (UCLA). It's cute how they don't spell out D-Fenders. Very LA of them. Banks can score, and Errick Craven is only memorable because he had a twin named Derrick, and also because I used to have a friend named Eric Cravens. I wonder what happened to him? His family was rich, and had satellite TV when it wasn't normal with the big dish and everything, and had the playboy channel when I was in eighth grade. Awesome. Anyway, McCoy was one of the best shot blockers I've ever seen. I know the Sonics gave him a chance. It's too bad he had zero offensive game, because defensively he's an absolute force. That dude should have a highlight film on youtube, but alas, it's not to be.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers: Steve Novak (Marquette), Kevin Bookout (Oklahoma), CJ Watson (Tennessee). Novak will end up in the NBA at some point. He's way too good a shooter to not. Bookout and Watson are two fo teh most overrated college players ever. Bookout was supposed to be a big deal recruit, but he's really just an average, bigger, white guy. Like Kris Humprhries but way less talented. Watson was a chucker. Like Scottie Reynolds now. Hey Scottie, Look! It's your future!

Sioux Falls Skyforce: Marcus Bailey (Wyoming), Nik Caner-Medley (Maryland), Ben Jacobson (North Iowa). Well, just the fact that Caner-Medley is playing professional basketball is a testament to human will. Jacobson seems like that type of player who will always find work playing somehwere. Not sure why I highlighted Bailey. I think I"m thinking of Mario Bailey, former U of Washington wide receiver and Bill Walsh College Football (Sega) All-Star.

Tulsa 66ers: Dwight Brewington (Liberty), Ramon Sessions (Nevada). I remember Brewington from Providence. Seemed like a pretty good player. Guess he transferred to Liberty though. Totally memorable. Sessions I can't say crap about, because I don't live on the West coast and dont' think I ever saw him play. I honestly couldn't pick Nick Fazekas out of a lineup. I could pick out Eric Chenowith though, because I once stayed in the same hotel as him and got his autograph. Not because I wanted it, but because Snacks and I were drunk and laughing about him, and my mom went up and got his autograph for both of us as a joke. True story.

Utah Flash: Andre Ingram (St. johns), Jeff Hagen (Minn), Kevin Kruger (UNLV). Kruger is like Jacobson, just the kind of player who will never have to get a real job because he'll just keep hooking on with low level basketball teams. Big story here is Jeff Hagen, obviously. As much as I would love to have more info on him, there is no link to him on their site. I'd try to look it up but it's 1:33am and that's just about enoough.

Hey Sidler, way to have Dwight Freeney get hurt. Nice job.

Craig Monroe, 2008 World Series MVP

Check it out, The Sidler is going to write about non-Indiana sports!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I cleared my late October 2008 calendar after hearing the Twins, in a stroke of genius, traded for Craig Monroe.

Kidding aside, what exactly did new Twins GM Bill Smith, he of the most boring name in sports, add to the roster today for the price of a player to be named later?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4824

Craig Monroe stunk last year. He was awful, near-Punto awful even. He had the third-worst VORP (value over replacement level) "value" in the league, trailing only Little Nicky Punto and Angel Gonzales, whoever that is. Monroe's .638 OPS (on-base plus slugging) was by far the worst of his career, .100 points lower than his rookie year, since becoming a regular MLB player.

But Craig Monroe hasn't always been Puntonian, and even when he stunk, he would have provided some value to the Twins, namely vs. left-handed pitching. Monroe's .496 slugging % vs. LHP would have put him behind only former-Twin Torii Hunter (just admit it, he's gone) in 2007. Gardy can't figure out platoons, but hopefully his anemic bat vs. RHP stays out of the starting lineup.

I'm not going to pretend to be more than an amateur expert, but Monroe's pre-2007 stats look a lot like a mirrored Jacque Jones, who could never hit LHP. If used properly, guys like Monroe and Jones can provide plenty of value to a team, especially one with payroll constraints like the Twins. There is also hope that he has a Jose Guillen-like rebound, who went from a Monroe 07 season to hit .290, get on base at a .350 clip, and hit with 23 HR for the Mariners.

With the state of the Twins OF/DH spots, this is a move worth making, even if casual fans and KFAN hosts will mock and ridicule it. Now if we get to April and this is THE MOVE of the off-season, then feel free to mock and/or ridicule. But this is a low risk move with more reward potential than Aaron Boone or Tony Batista ever offered.

If nothing else, when compared to a Darin Erstad signing, this is a great move.

Go Huskers!

Hi. I'm live from Lincoln, Nebraska, which I'm fairly certain is the second worst city in America - after Oakland.

Had a very interesting evening in the hotel bar tonight. It sucked because I wasn't able to watch the Ohio State game, because they had it on the stupid football game instead. My other option was to sit in my room. What am I gonna do - do work and not drink? I don't think so. So I drank heavily in the hotel bar and suffered through the football game. Good news though, we won our Ohio St bet, only the second win all year. I didn't post it here but I'm going to go ahead and count it on my record anyway, because 1-6 will do that to a guy.

- What made the night so awesome, and may very well be the best thing ever, was this group of complete idiots (probably Red Sox fans) talking about sports. Some of their nuggets of wisdom:

*** Braylon Edwards is a better receiver than Joe Jurevicious. I'm so glad they had to have a full on discussion about this, especially as Browns fans. People love white people, it's a fact.

*** Desmond Howard won a Heisman Trophy with Notre Dame.

*** The Packers won the first ever Super Bowl, and then got killed in the second one.

*** Las Vegas is boring.

*** Aaron Gray (former Pitt Panther, current Bull) is a gawky 7-2 who never grew into his body. Sorry, but there are a lot of 7-2 guys you could say that about. Gray wasn't gawky. He was just fat and sucked. He got drafted because he's big and fat, and somehow that entitles people to millions.

*** One guy said, "I should have brought my guitar and played here." Dude, it's a hotel bar. It's not a performer's lounge, and it's not amateur night. I'm pretty sure they would have kicked him out if he tried. This one was just weird.

*** Then they started talking about racing. They talked about people's skills diminishing. Um, it's racing. What skills? Your only skill is having a faster car than everybody else. I don't get it. I kind of tuned out after that because it was really boring. If you wanted to bore me, you could have just talked about hockey.

- Memorial Stadium (home of the U of Nebraska, not former Oriole stadium) looks pretty badass. But I suppose it should when this whole town only exists because of it. The hotel I'm in is called "The Cornhusker" for god's sake. And it's a Marriott. Last time I went out drinking with a guy from Nebraska, he couldn't stop talking about college baseball. Like that even exists. He asked about the U of MN team, and I was like, "I don't know. I think we have Rob Quinlan, Glen Perkins, Paul Molitor, and Jerry Wickman. Sounds like a good nucleus."

- The Adrian Peterson injury really blows. There are officially zero reasons to watch the Vikings now. Face it, T-Jax was a HUGE mistake.

- UCLA super freshman Kevin Love just got compared to Kurt Rambis. I wish I was kidding.

- Lorenzo Mata changed his last name to Mata-Real. Why?

- Who would have thought Shaun Alexander, Steve Smith, and Chad Johnson would all decide to suck the same year? And Andre Johnson would get hurt for like, ever? Certainly put my keeper fantasy team down the shitter.

- Steve Lavin is now making a big deal out of Mercer, because they beat USC. Like, look out for Mercer. You know what? You don't have to look out for Mercer. At all. They were under .500 in the freakin' Atlantic Sun last year. Now, they are a title contender in the conference this season, but it's still the Atlantic Sun. They beat USC because of OJ Mayo. Not that he isn't good, because he is, and not that USC is going to suck this year, because they're going to be good, but when a guy like that comes onto a team, things are going to be tough right off the bat. They guy is about one thing and one thing only - himself - and that's going to be tough to figure out right away. I am sure they will get it figured out and be an NCAA team - and probably beat Mercer by 30 in the first round.

- Who picked Shamala as their favorite Gopher? That's a bit, right?

- I told you people the Cuse was for real. Now, they only beat Siena by 8, and I don't know if Siena is supposed to be any good this year - and I don't want to look it up because alcohol has dulled my brain, but they are loaded with talent. Freshmen Johnny Flynn (28 pts, 6 threes, 9 assists, 5 rebounds) and Donte Green (14 pts, 7 rebs) are every bit as good as advertised. Now, they turned it over 23 times (Flynn, Green, Devendorf, and Paul Harris all had 4+) and gave up 89 to Siena, but they will be involved in the national champion discussion at some point.

- Johan Santana needs to be traded more than anybody has ever needed to be traded. His value is at an absolute apex right now, and you know damn well they aren't going to spend the money to be a contender this year. Just do it. Please.

- Why did I only take two extra beers up to the room with me when the bar closed? Two might as well be zero. I'm so stupid.

- Pepperdine lost again, 84-76 to Pacific. Rico scored 14, on a terrible shooting night, and had 4 TOs against 2 assists. I'm going to assume the coach is still holding him down. Remember, November 21 is Rico vs. Monson.

- The poll is gone because I'm an idiot. Then I tried to redo it and I screwed it up again. I hate computers.

- Gopher Nation has some thoughts on the upcoming Iowa State game for our favorite hoops team. He's absolutely right that it is a huge game for the Gophers. This is the kind of game you win if you have aspirations of an NCAA berth. A win here is really no big deal, but a loss is a killer. The good news is that Mike Taylor, he of the 30+ points and best half I've seen since Vince Grier against Wisconsin, has been bounced off the team for stealing cold medicine. I assume to make meth.

- And the beer is gone so I'm done. I didn't proofread, but I'm going to assume this has less spelling and grammatical errors than the average Snake post, so I should be cool.

The Colts are depressing me...let's talk college hoops

The Sidler is back and the Colts look awful on Sunday night. Injuries suck, but the pathetic depth at WR is inexcusable. The Chargers are a love/hate team for me. Their defense is completely annoying, with Roid Rage Merriman and everyone always running 20 yards and then celebrating after every good play...funny, don't remember that from last week. But their offense is on the other end of the spectrum.

What a first half--the Colts gave up a kick and punt return for a TD, Manning threw 4 INTs, the backup LT got hurt, the starting RT got hurt, and a missed FG. One more injury and Jim Sorgi gets to play O-line or WR.

On to college hoops--I have a few things.

1. Check out basketballprospectus.com , the latest addition to the growing ___ Prospectus analytical tree. John Gasaway, formerly bigtenwonk, wrote a fairly in-depth preview of each team that is worth reading.

2. Nice start for the Gophers. By the time I got to MN, Monson was already working his magic to turn The Barn into a morgue, so I'm hoping Tubby can reverse Dandy Dan's work.

3. I can't wait to watch Eric Gordon and the rest of IU play this season. Here's his highlight reel from last year's appearance on ESPN.



I also can't wait for the Wolves to draft him with the first pick of the NBA draft next year.

I am terrible at this

Oof.

Brown +13.5 @ Michigan

Season: 1-5

Also, there is now a bounty on Bill Simmons.

Minnesota 84, Army 52

Great start to the season this afternoon. We got there a little late and had to leave a little early because my dad had to get to his big Brats & Shrimp dinner, so I missed some parts of the game, but got most of it. My thoughts:

- Holy Damian freakin' Johnson. Twelve points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks in just twenty minutes, and he seemed to be everywhere. He even knocked down two of the three three-pointers he attempted. I don't think I remember seeing him even attempt a three pointer last season [note: looked it up, he took 13]. If he keeps this up, we won't have to worry about the whole lack of depth in the frontcourt thing.

- Spencer looks like he got into better shape and lost a bunch of weight. Seems to pretty much have the same awkward post up moves, and should have no problem leading the team in rebounding this year. I really would have liked to see him be more aggressive against an undersized Army team, but he only took six shots. Also, he looks just like The Todd.

- It was awesome to see signs for Devoe Joseph in the student section. Joseph was allegedly there, but we couldn't find him. Maddog even went over behind the Gophers' bench at halftime on a scouting mission, but was unable to locate him. I can't remember ever seeing signs for a recruit in the student section, or anywhere in the arena for that matter. Either fans are getting smarter, there is more information out there, or we actually are recruiting players that are worth getting excited about. Maybe some of all three.

- I saw Dan Coleman get a defensive rebound in traffic, tip dunk an offensive rebound (with authority), and post up a defender. I still haven't seen him play defense.

- Speaking of defense, I love Tubby's strategy this year. The running offense coupled with a half court press is a great idea on an undersized team. Hopefully this will still work in the Big Ten season. I don't think the press will be quite as effective against Michigan State as it was against Army.

- Army is freakin' terrible. Just brutal. That hot chick in that one section that Snacks talked about was there again, and she brought a friend. I miss the curly haired stat girl from two or three years ago, personally.

- McKenzie scored just two points and took just five shots, but I consider this a positive. We all know he can score, and will almost certainly lead the team in scoring this season, but as I wrote before, I was nervous he was in "showcase myself" mode. Today he looked like he was completely playing in the flow of the offense, just didn't many looks and didn't force it, which is a change from last season.

- Lawrence Westbrook, if he could only get the ball to actually go in, could be a dynamic scorer. He can get to the rim almost at will - yes, again it was against Army, but still. He just struggled getting anything to go down today.

- I know he has an injury, but Blake Hoffarber does not look good. He's injured, which could account for his Shamala level defense out there, but he looks lost, which can't be explained away by the injury. Watching him I was reminded of a middle school kid trying to play high school ball. He just seemed like he wasn't sure of what to do or where to go. I hope it was just because it was his first game, but Snacks continues to tell me that he just plain sucks. It looks like he hit a couple of threes after we left, but since I didn't see it, it doesn't count. Also, my Dad kept calling him Hoffbauer, so until he earns his real name back, I'm going to continue to call him Hoffbauer.

- Speaking of Hoffbauer, a couple of different times I saw him in the game at the same time as Abu Shamala. This cannot happen. I don't think either of those guys can guard anybody, at all, ever. Having one of them in makes the defense bad enough, both in is just begging to get your doors blown off.

- Hey, speaking of getting your doors blown off, Dan Monson had a stellar debut coaching Long Beach State. BYU rolled them 84-34, and they were at home. Fans gotta love that. Funny thing is, BYU isn't even good this year. Yikes. I tried to find reaction on a Long Beach State message board, but shockingly, it's hard to find one that's very busy. I think they need Luscious Harris back.

- A much less satisfying loss would be Pepperdine falling to Oregon 100-70. They tied them in the second half though, so that's something. Rico struggled shooting, going only 1-9, but chipped in with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, showing what an awesome all around player he truly is. If he were a baseball player, he'd be a five-tool guy.

- All in all, despite being actually kind of a boring game, it was a good start to the Tubby era. The team generally looked good, and even though it was just Army, I came away impressed.

Party

It's my birthday today. How very exciting. I'm going to celebrate by watching the gophers probably suck. I was also out at the bar all last night, so I'm hungover and cranky, and I'm supposed to meet Snacks, Maddog, and Old Man at the bar in an hour. Super exciting awesome happy time.

Utah St -4 @ Weber State
Pepperdine +26 @ Oregon

Season: 1-3

November 9 Plays

Some recommended bets for this evening:

Temple +17.5 @ Tennessee:
Yes, I absolutely consider Tennessee a final four team, however it sounds like both Duke Crews and Wayne Chism are going to be out tonight, leaving Ryan Childress as the only experienced player over 6-7. Temple's weakness last year was rebounding and post play, so not having Crews and Chism negates any Tennessee advantage in that area. Temple can score, and with guards Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale, should be able to keep up with the Vols.

DePaul +3 @ Creighton:
Creighton lost four major contributors from last season, including two all conference players, and are left with only one player who can score from last season, forward Dane Watts. They are returning only 16.9 ppg, while the four players who left took 47.9 points with them. The Blue Jays will be relying heavily on freshman this season, and this is their first game. DePaul did lose two major players in Wilson Chandler and Sammy Mejia, but return three other starters, including Draelon Burns, and have their best recruiting class in recent memory coming in, and should outclass Creighton.

Auburn +2.5 @ Tulane:
I expected Auburn to be an NCAA tournament team this year, but the loss of leading scorer Josh Dollard for the season makes that iffy. The Tigers will be without Quan Prowell this game as well due to a suspension, but should still have enough talent to beat Tulane, who was actually decent last year, but I don't think is the Tigers' class, even at home.

Season: 0-1

Golden Gopher Basketball Preview

Well the big day is tomorrow, as the Gophers take on heated rival Army, and I couldn't be more excited. And also very angry at myself. A few months ago, I was saying that an NIT bid was likely out of reach, and it would be a very successful season if the Gophers made the NIT. Now I find myself thinking that they have an outside shot at a NCAA bid. I hate stupid, groundless, homerrific thinking, and it's exactly what is happening to me. Damn you Tubby Smith.

Anyway, here are 10 biggest issues going into this season:

1. The improvement of Dan Coleman and Spencer Tollackson:
I almost wrote this as "The continued improvement" but then I started to realize these guys really haven't improved all that much. I mean, sure, the numbers have improved, and there have been baby steps here and there, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Think about it, the knock on Spencer as a freshman was that he was unrefined and somewhat clumsy, with a propensity to get into foul trouble, and Coleman had a nice offensive game inside and out, but was soft, didn't spend enough time in the paint, and was weak defensively. You could write this same paragraph about these guys going into this season.

It's no secret that the big dogs this season are going to be these two guys and McKenzie (more on him later). If Coleman can finally play some defense to go with his scoring, and Tollackson can stay out of foul trouble and has maybe added a little more polish to his offense, it will go a long way towards success this year.

2. Who is playing Point Guard?
Going into a basketball season with your point guard options being a freshman, two shooting guards, and a small forward is never a good idea, but that's where the Gophers stand. Ideally, Al Nolen is as good as he's looked in the exhibitions, and is able to be the starter and log most of the minutes, leaving the Payton/Westbrook/McKenzie rotation to play backup, not starter.

If Nolen is unable to handle playing the point, a definite possibility given that many knowledgeable people have questioned if he's Big Ten material, then that ugly mongrel rotation would have to step in and take all the minutes. Not only are none of those guys point guards, but forcing them to play major minutes there takes them away from what they are good at. Nolen may very well be the key to this season, and that's simply terrifying.

3. What's up with Kevin Payton?
Coming in, Payton was regarded as a 3-star swingman, but out of necessity he ended up being the starting point guard. While this showed excellent versatility, and although he did have some good games, it's pretty clear PG is not his natural position (1-1 Assist to TO ratio). He should be a scoring swingman, as evidenced by his 26.1 ppg as a high school senior. There's only one problem, he showed almost zero offensive skills last season.

He averaged just 2 points per game last season, and managed a high game of only 12, despite averaging over twenty minutes per game. Now, maybe he was deferring too much to the three juniors last year, and if that's the case hopefully Tubby can get him to be a little more aggressive on offense. The other problem might be he's just not very good. Keep in mind this is a Dan Monson recruit we're talking about here. If that's the case, I expect him to see fewer and fewer minutes, and end up transferring out at the end of the season.

4. How good can Lawrence Westbrook be?
I'm very interested to find this out. Westbrook scored 41 points per game as a junior in high school, so you know he knows how to score, but can he do it against college talent? I think so, and we're going to find out if he gets minutes. Westbrook, despite playing only 10 minutes per game last season, still managed to put up 73 shots, and was fifth on the team in three pointers attempted.

He is an undersized shooting guard, and I don't see him learning point anytime soon, so he's limited by that. The good news is that this is college not the NBA, and you can get away with having two small guards in at the same time. If he's given the minutes, which didn't happen under Monson or Molinari, he should find himself approaching double digits in scoring this season, and taking a big step forward in his development. He is the Gopher I am most excited to watch this season.

5. Abu-Shamala shouldn't be starting, right?
If you disagree with this, you don't know basketball. Shamala clearly has a role he can play on this team. He needs to be coming off the bench, maybe 5-15 minutes per game depending on the opponent and situation. He would be perfect coming in to help bust a zone or keep a defense honest if they are leaving people to double team (although I don't really know who they would need to double on this team.)

I'm sorry, I know people like white boys who hustle and are from Minnesota, but he's a terrible, terrible, terrible defender. He can't stay with players on the perimeter, because everybody is quicker than him, and he can't defend a post up player, because he isn't strong enough. He is also a poor off-the-ball defender, who can't keep up with quick cuts or get through or around screens. If you want more, he also can't create his own shot or anybody elses, can't put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, and is not good in transition. He's a shooter, plain and simple and that's it. He's good at it, but that is all he is. There is no way he should be starting, and if he is, this season is basically a failure because nobody was able to step up to take away his job (I'm looking at you Hoffarber - maybe Payton).

6. Lawrence McKenzie's Motivation:
When I heard McKenzie was transferring from a successful Oklahoma program back to his hometown Minnesota, my first question was "What the hell? Why?" But after watching him play, I figured it out. He's going with the Kris Humphries "This team sucks so I can go ahead and showcase myself for the NBA scouts and nobody will care because they're so bad" route, a Dan Monson favorite.

Well, first of all, he's dreaming if he thinks he's going to sniff the NBA. And second of all, I have to think Tubby isn't going to put up with that crap. McKenzie is a terrific shooter and scorer, that much is obvious. So was Humphries, and his agenda killed the team. McKenzie isn't to that level, so I think the combination of Tubby and a more successful team with pull him back a bit, but if he plays the same way he played last season, there's no chance at the postseason.

7. Big Man Depth:
This may very well be the biggest problem facing the Gophers this season. Bryce Webster left the team because, well, nobody really knows why, but the Gophers don't have much after Coleman and Tollackson. A lot of the minutes and pressure falls to junior Jonathan Williams, who I actually really like. I love the idea of having a shot blocking presence inside (I was in love with Antoine Broxsie too, I admit), but it would be nice if he developed some kind of ability to score as well.

It's inevitable that at some point, and hopefully not too often, both Williams and Tollackson will be in foul trouble at the same time because they're both the kind of player who gets into foul trouble a lot. You know, big, slow, overly aggressive and kind of dumb. When this happens, that's when the trouble begins. With Brandon Smith gone along with Webster, the only options are either slide Payton down or hope Damian Johnson is better than he's looked. He seems pretty athletic, and at 6-7 has the height to spend some time down low, if not the strength, but he hasn't shown any kind of basketball ability yet, and may very well be better suited in a mid-major conference. The only other option would be to use undersized Travis Busch, and I don't even want to get into the season implications if that happens.

8. Tubby's Influence:
This is the one thing that has me believing right now. First off, according to Snacks, the Gophers are playing an uptempo style right now. I think this is the right move for a team with basically only two traditional big men. Hopefully they are doing a lot of pressure and trapping on defense as well, another reason Shamala shouldn't be playing a ton of minutes.

Tubby has a proven track record, and there is some talent here, minute though it may be. I have full faith in him to squeeze everything out of this team, and make the same bunch who went 9-22 last season into a middle-tier Big Ten team.

9. Ongoing Recruiting Battles:
There are two really big targets still out there for next season, both guards in Devoe Joseph and Verdell Jones, who I would really love to see come to the U next season. There are plenty of other targets as well I'd be happy with, Haralson, Leslie, and even Faber spring to mind, but Joseph and Jones would really put this recruiting class towards the top. Jones is especially important if Nolen doesn't work out, although Joseph is the more exciting pick up. Stay tuned.

10. Just how awesome is Rico Tucker?
Well, he already won Pepperdine's dunk contest, so he still has the ridiculous athletic ability. In Pepperdine's only exhibition game, he started, but clearly the coach is another Monson because he only let him play 16 minutes and limited him to four shots. Of those he made two, including a three pointer, went 2-2 from the line, and dished out 3 assists to go with his seven points. I think it's clear that if this coach ever pulls his head out of his ass and unleashes the monster that is Rico, we're looking at All-American type potential.

FINAL VERDICT: NIT bid

Week 10 NFL Picks

Holy crap, it's week 10 already. The season just flies by. Speaking of flying, I'm home now. And before I get to the picks, a couple of flight related pieces of etiquette:

1. Hey guy next to me, I've made my peace with the fact that you are pretty much an inconsiderate ass, with little to no regard for other passengers, so I've given up on battling for an arm rest and conceded defeat. This, however, does not mean it is ok to let your bulbously fat arms hang OVER the armrest, and intrude into my personal space. If you can't handle the little seats, buy two tickets for each flight you take. Or die.

2. There are only three times when you should recline your seat: 1) In first class, 2) when there is nobody behind you, or 3) if the row behind you is an exit row. That's it. Otherwise, the people behind you have very little room, and reclining makes it worse. I have accepted the fact that people do exist who feel the need to recline in other situations, but if you do recline, have the decency to lean back. There was a guy today who reclined as soon as we took off, and then leaned forward to read his book, not even using the reclined seat he so desperately needed. That should be a kicked off the plane type offense.

3. Not plane, but if you missed it Garnder-Webb knocked off Kentucky last night, completely screwing up the Coaches v Cancer classic. It was all set up for Kentucky, Memphis, UCONN, and Oklahoma to win their regionals and meet up in New York, but instead Gardner-Webb will be showing up. It must be awesome for those guys.

On to the picks, (11-2 last week by the way):

Miami +3 vs. Buffalo: The Bills are hot, winning three straight and Lee Evans is finally showing some signs of life, having a big day last Sunday. However, Miami is going to win one of these days, having been close in a number of games so far, and at home against Buffalo feels like that kind of game.

Pittsburgh -9.5 vs. Cleveland: The Steelers are looking more and more like they might be a juggernaught in the AFC, but nobody is talking about them because of the Colts and the Patriots. They are just crushing teams. The Browns are a solid team, but they are the kind of team that beats the bad teams and can't hang with the big dogs.

Kansas City -3 vs. Denver: These two teams baffle me more than the whole Travis Henry situation. Denver can beat the Steelers, but has also been completely destroyed by the Lions and the Chargers. Kansas City looks solid some weeks, and like complete crap the next. I have no idea.

Tennessee -4 vs. Jacksonville: Quinn Gray or David Garrard won't matter, the Titans defense is good enough to hold the Jags down - other than the Texans in that really weird game, nobody has been able to put points up on Tennessee. They just keep rolling along, beating the teams they are supposed to beat. Put them in the NFC, and they might be a Super Bowl contender.

Green Bay -6 vs. Minnesota: Ooooh, big rivalry game, how exciting. I don't even know who is playing QB for the Vikings this week, but I bet whoever it is, he sucks. Good thing the Vikes have Peterson and that offensive line. The problem, however, is that the Packers have been very good against the run this season, and that was against teams that actually had quarterbacks. The Vikings have shown themselves to be a tougher opponent than I thought they would be, but they really match up horribly against Green Bay.

Washington -2.5 vs. Philadelphia: This line makes zero sense, thus I'm very suspicious. However, I can't get away from the fact that Philly sucks. The Redskins have struggled the last four weeks, but have still managed to go 2-2. As far as the Eagles go, they have that one impressive win against the Lions and that's pretty much it. I don't get it.

New Orleans -11.5 vs. St. Louis: Stupid Rams. Every time they have a big line like this, I figure it's way too much, and every time it isn't. So this time I'm going with the team that is hot, seems to have figured out their offense again, and is capable of putting up big points against the crappy Rams. So it'll probably end up 21-17.

Carolina -4 vs. Atlanta: I actually had this whole game written up with the Falcons as the pick, and then I read that Testeverde is starting, not Carr. It seems weird to say that I have way more confidence in the Panthers with a 44 year old mid-season signing than their actual back up in there - but hey, that's David Carr. Testeverde actually uses Steve Smith, which, you know, seems like a good idea.

Baltimore -4 vs. Cincinnati: These are two of the three most disappointing teams this season matching up. The difference: The Ravens still have something to play for and really need this game. I'm counting on them bouncing back from back-to-back losses - including getting embarrassed by the Steelers - by coming home and crushing a Bengals team that might be ready to completely fall apart, if it hasn't already.

Chicago -3 @ Oakland: Look how far the mighty bears have fallen. From Super Bowl last year to only favored by three against Oakland, who continues to look worse and worse from week to week. It almost makes me want to go down to Alary's some Sunday and quietly laugh. Although the Kaiser would probably end up kicking my ass.

NY Giants +1.5 vs. Dallas: The Giants have won six in a row, and are putting themselves in position to be the team to beat in the NFC. Dallas beat the Giants by 10 at home in week one, but that was a long time ago, and a very different Giants team. The Cowboys are good, but this is a statement game for the Giants and I think they pull it out, unlike Maddog.

Detroit +1 @ Arizona: The roar has been restored. The Lions have struggled on the road a bit, but it's the Cardinals. No problem.

Indianapolis -3.5 @ San Diego: This was a tough game to call, and it's hard to remember just how dominant the Colts have been, now that they have that loss to the Patriots on their record. San Diego is a truly schizo team, and I think the Colts put the Pats loss behind them and continue on to 15-1.

San Francisco +10.5 @ Seattle: I don't care how bad the 49ers are, there's no way they're losing by more than 10 against the crap that is the Seahawks. You know, the Seahawks have only beaten one winning team so far - Tampa Bay. Their other wins are against teams that are a combined 4-20. This is not a good team.

Last Week: 11-2
Season to Date: 66-53-9