You're Welcome!

Thanks to everyone who voted on my latest poll. Due to the support from you guys, and my own interest in doing a video blog/podcast (I am not sure what to do yet, my new laptop can support both ideas) I will unveil the STWWC's own video blog/podcast sometime after I return for the new semester. I'll think about how I want to lay out and set up the format and whatnot. My pick for Thursday Night Football is Colts over Jaguars and Saturday Night Football I got the Saints over the Cowboys. Now here is this week's You're Welcome!

1. Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints: You won lucky 13 last week and have a cupcake schedule the rest of the way. Sure, everything is locked up and you can rest everybody and still not gain or lose any ground on anybody. But for goodness sake, play for the undefeated season and chance at 19-0. The Patriots were 2 minutes away from doing it, and there is no reason the Saints or Colts can't do it, and maybe even face each other in the Super Bowl (Goodell would cry). Teams who win the Super Bowl usually are still playing everybody late in the year. Sure the Saints are winning close, but that can only help as the playoffs are just around the corner. Lets get those old Dolphins to stop celebrating every year and see a legendary team this year.

2. Detroit Pistons: Let us look at this franchise. Your hometown is struggling bad financially and sports wise. Your beloved owner died last spring. You are on your 3rd Head Coach in the last 3 years, and the second rookie Head Coach as well. You had maybe the best player you have had in 15 years get traded and see him go to the Western Conference finals. Your two best remaining players are injured. After all of that you are still floating around .500 and in the playoffs. Kuester should in contention for coach of the year. Stuckey can be a great SG and you may have something in Jerebko. Sure I miss Billups too, but maybe the final reloading needs to take place and ship Rip and Tayshaun for picks or players. Otherwise, decent season so far.

3. Cleveland Browns: I thought you were one of the worst teams in NFL history, but the Bills let you off the hook with a win and you knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs (all but mathematically) at home in a Thursday Night Football game. I said you don't deserve two Prime Time games (you still don't) but at least you A) picked a game on NFL Network and nobody would see it and B) beat your rivals who have stomped you since returning to Cleveland. Nice win, and you guys may get Mike Holmgrem to rebuild the franchise. I think he will keep Mangini, but will he pull a Pat Riley and take over the team for himself?

Pistons Find Their Head Coach

John Kuester is the new head man in Motown. He brings with him a wealth of experience, but not excatly head coaching. The former Tar Heel was the assistant coach for the Lebrons last year.

This no name head coaching pick is a good call. Not being a fan of Avery Johnson, I am glad the Pistons looked over him and made a Chicago Bulls style hire. The Bulls hired Vinny Del Negro last year and it served them well.

Lets just hope that Detroit did not overpay him like they did Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Pistons Sign a Pair, Possible Coaching Candidates

The Detroit Pistons signed a pair of free agents. Ben Gordon signed a 5 year $55 million deal to play in Motown, and Charlie Villanueva joined Gordon for a 5 year $40 million deal the same day. Although overpriced, these are two of the better free agents in this year’s class. Gordon is an elite six man but has not shown the ability to be more in the Association. Rasheed Wallace is being courted to play for the Celtics, although he has previously said he would retire at the end of his current contract.
The Head Coaching search continues for the Pistons, but the list is getting smaller. Bill Laimbeer and Doug Collins have been removed from the job search, but Avery Johnson is still being looked at. I am not a fan of Johnson being head coach. He was looked over for all the coaching jobs last year, and may have just fallen into a great situation with a great team with the Mavericks. Anyways, Mark Cuban is paying him $4 million a year for the next two years, in addition to his cushy ESPN job. He did have a few meltdowns in the playoffs, an 8 seed over a 1 when Golden State beat Dallas and the NBA Finals loss against the Heat when their boot was on their throat. I can see Johnson getting the job, or an assistant from some other team. I find it unlikely a college coach to be picked.

NBA Analysis from Guest Correspondent Nick Felver

Since Basketball is not my strongest sport (I think I can hold my own in college but definitely not the NBA) and all the major sports networks and publications have their own guest correspondents, so will I. Introducing the newest member of Season Tickets With Weston Corbitt, my roommate and local Basketball expert, Nick Felver. A Bulls fan and a wealth of knowledge, look for him to breakdown everything on the hardwood.

-Weston Corbitt

The big story of the draft has to be the Timberwolves parlaying their multitude of picks into four point guards and a shooting guard. Apparently, there are no other positions on a basketball squad. While at first glance, the drafting of four point guards is sheer lunacy, the T-wolves have been wheeling and dealing and are now down to two, Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio. Rubio could fetch some value on the trade market, making Flynn Minnesota’s point guard of the future.

Blake Griffin is a freak of nature. If only it wasn’t for that durned Clippers curse…

At first I was thrilled with the Bull’s draft. They needed to get some scoring power down low and taking James Johnson at 16, while a bit undersized, fits the bill. I was excited about Taj Gibson because he is a 6’10” beast, but it seems like his game mirrors that of Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas in that he’s not much of a scorer. Perhaps this pick could have been used to shore up the perimeter with the expected loss of Ben Gordon to free agency and the potential loss of Kirk Hinrich to a trade. Wayne Ellington or Sam Young would have been nice here.

Hansbrough could be the next Christian Laettner. A ringing endorsement, I know. He’s physical enough for the NBA but that patented flip-shot of his will get blocked now.

I’m totally flabbergasted by the hornets taking a point guard with their first pick. Hey New Orleans, you have this dude named Chris Paul. He’s pretty good.

Not too sure about the Pistons. Austin Daye has great height at 6’11” but doesn’t have the weight to play down low. DaJuan Summers is a strong physical player at 6’9” and 243 pounds. They have potential but isn’t Detroit pretty set on the wings with Tayshawn and Rip? Could be some trades coming. After all, no one is safe according to Dumars.

On another local note, MSU alum Goran Suton gets a look in the second round from the Utah Jazz. He fits in at least visually with the crew of white forwards that the Jazz have assembled. He’ll get a chance because he’s long and can shoot, but he could be playing in Europe for a year or two.

The Spurs get another late steal in DaJuan Blair. He breaks faces, arms, and wills in his quest for rebounds. He and Tim Duncan should become good buddies down low for San Antonio.

Richard Jefferson Starship to the Spurs revitalizes Duncan and Co. Shaq to the Cavs will be more fun than a barrel of spider monkeys. Oh yeah, he should help on the court also. Vince Carter will be fun to watch in Orlando but they must re-sign Turkoglu.

Free agency starts July 1st. I love this time of year and can’t wait for next season.

-Nick Felver

Breaking Down MSU vs UConn Part 3

• Now to break down the Centers for the upcoming Final Four match up. Goran Suton is a man with his basketball stock rising lately. He was his bracket MOP and played outstanding in every game. Unlike some stars, he was a consistent Spartan putting up big points and clutch rebounds every game (11, 7, 20, 19 points in the tourney games so far), and for the season he is shooting 41.9% from behind the three point stripe. Its fairly obvious how much I think three point shooting is vital to the Spartans success but this match up its monumental. To break down Hasheem Thabeet's game. He will score. A lot. He will have a decent amount of rebounds (hopefully not on the offensive end to eliminate the second chance points for a potent Husky offense) and maybe some blocks. MSU'S game plan has to be to contain him and limit his defense presence and rebound with the ferociousness that I saw against Louisville. Suton will need a lot of help from the forwards to play defense and rebounding, but he could be the focal point on offense. His three point shooting disrupts Thabeet's stand under the rim and hope someone comes up so I can block a shot or two. He can pose match up headaches for Calhoun all night and his ability to make the jumper could make Thabeet look like a JUCO defender on the perimeter. Suton plays bigger and more physical than his 6'10'' 245 pound frame, and we all know what happens when Thabeet plays a undersized tough big man, he arm almost gets torn off. Despite that the advantage goes to UConn. Thabeet is one of the best big men in the country, and the Spartans have to game plan for him. Suton could make it an extremely interesting match up if he can shoot well all game and play his butt off in the paint.
• U.S.A. soccer dominated Trinidad & Tobago 3-0 on Jozy Altidore's hat trick. He is a 19 year old put in the starting lineup due to his awesome work ethic and to shake things up. We might have found a winner who hustled and played defense well all night. Obviously the 3 goals is a monster night and lets hope the youngster continues to flourish. Tim "Homeland Security" Howard earned the shutout. Altidore's first goal was a beautiful setup with a header by Brian Ching and a perfect dish from Landon Donovan right to where Altidore needed it. The United States now are 2-0-1 in World Cup qualifying and play Costa Rica on June 3rd in their next match.
• Jay Cutler needs to be a Lion. No questions asked. By (almost) any means necessary. We don't need to mortgage the entire draft for him, and I really don't want to part ways with both our first rounders. I would be fine with giving up the first overall pick, or maybe getting Cutler and something worked in with the Cleveland Browns, who have two underwhelming Quarterbacks on their roster. I can't see how Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson is more appealing than the first overall pick (and your choice of Stafford or Sanchez, Denver..). I can see Cleveland dealing their first rounder, the fifth overall selection, but both Stafford or Sanchez could be snatched up by Detroit, Seattle or St. Louis. They could throw in the eternally upset and overweight NT Shaun Rogers to jump start their transition to the 3-4, but who says they can't find a cheaper, happier version of Shaun Rogers in the later rounds of the draft, or late in the first where DT talent is rich. Braylon Edwards can't be offered because 1. He can't catch footballs and 2. Cleveland would have no options left on offense after dealing him and Winslow in the same off season. I hear the Jets are interested but what do they have to offer? The Lions have to be the front runners and jump at this chance. How are often are Pro-Bowl Quarterbacks traded when they are 26? Uh....NEVER! C'mon Mayhew, excite your struggling fan base and improve the team drastically in one move.
• The Pistons lost at New Jersey, a team out of contention with nothing to play for and a loser of 22 games at home. The Pistons have to try and move up in the playoff standings and are playing like a team who doesn't want to win. Plus AI is complaining about playing time.......ugh.........