NBA Team Analysis -- Charlotte Bobcats

Charlotte Bobcats

With the worst winning percentage of any team ever in the NBA (.106), Last season was awful for this team.  

This season small ball and youth is the theme for the Bobcats.  The Bobcats won a devastating 7 games last season averaging 87ppg.  This season so far they are 7-13 and definitely a much improved team.  

They are ranked 4th in fast break points averaging 16ppg off fast breaks.  Michael Kidd Gilchrist was November's rookie of the month.  Averaging 17ppg and 6astpg Kemba Walker is a star maybe an All-star if he continues the way he's going.  Offseason aquisitions Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon add a shooting spark to the offense, Hakim Warrick helps rebounding and has play making ability, Byron Mullens, Brenden Haywood and Bismack Biyombo have increased the rebounding for this team which helps them get out on break aways frequently.

Now let's face it, Charlotte is in a tough Southeastern Division.  This is a team that will not be the foot of the NBA this season and might even make a playoff push.  It would shock me and a lot of other people if this team does make it to the playoffs but for now the building of the squad is really coming along for legendary owner Michael Jordan.

NFL Week 14

Last week proved that I am not perfect and far far from it. Teams that were major last week: Seahawks, Patriots, Redskins, Colts, Broncos & Texans... Teams that let me down were the Vikings, 49er's, Ravens, and Giants.  Major Players of the week were Adrian Petersen and Andrew Luck.  2 dominating performances.

Broncos took care of the Raiders on Thursday night.  Peyton is playing more and more like MVP next to Brady.  There are more huge games this week with playoff implications on the line. So here are the picks for the week:

Dolphins @ 49er's

Long trip for Miami going against a mad team after a tough loss last week.  SanFran escapes 30-17

Lions @ Packers

Detroit hasnt won in Lambeau since 1991. Packers blowout 40-24

Saints @ Giants

Drew Brees may bounce back but not enough..NewYork win 33-27

Cardinals @ Seahawks

Seattle puts together team wins all phases of the game. Cardinals havent won a game since September. Seattle 30-16

Texans @ Patriots

This is a huge game with a lot on the line. The Brady Bunch is all healthy and ready for another playoff push...Patriots win at home 27-24

Falcons @ Panthers

Should be a blowout but Carolina wont lie down. ATL wins again 31-24

Chargers @ Steelers

Pitt defense is ballerific but Batch is playing QB so never know what to expect offensively. Chargers escape this one 26-23

Bears @ Vikings

Vikings with AP at home put Bears on 2 loss skid 23-20

Cowboys @ Bengals

Bengals is getting better offensively over Dallas 27-23

Rams @ Bills

After a huge win last week I think STL pull out another on the road 30-28

Cheifs @ Browns

After tragedy KC pulled out a win but probably not this week. Cleveland 20-13

Eagles @ Bucs

Tampa offense will get back in stride dominate Philly 34-23

Titans @ Colts

Andrew Luck is making his case for rookie of the year. Wayne is playing great. Indy win 31-18

Ravens @ Redskins

RG3 gets better week in and week out. Ravens will slow him down with different schemes.. Ravens 20-17

Jets @ Jaguars

Jaguars offensively is much better Jets are hurting at WR position and Corner and Sanchez is on the bench.. Jaguars win 17-13

Falcons @ Panthers

Fffdaa

Top 12 Bowl Games

Top 12 Upcoming Bowl Game Ranking

This year has proven to me and many others once again that a playoff system is needed in Division 1 college football.  A final four would set the stage for a magnificent matchup between 2 powerhouse teams.  But that's still in the works for 2014 so we still have another year before that can happen.  For now we will look at these matchups and imagine what it would be like.  There are some exciting games lined up so here is my ranking of the top 12 bowl games.

1. Alabama vs Notre Dame -- BCS Championship 1/7/13
2. Oregon vs KState -- Fiesta Bowl 1/3/13
3. Louisville vs Florida -- Sugar Bowl  1/2/13
4. LSU vs Clemson -- Chik-fil-A bowl 12/31/12
5. Texas A&M vs Oklahoma -- Cotton Bowl 1/4/13
6. Northern Illinois vs Florida State -- Orange Bowl 1/1/13
7. Minnesota vs Texas Tech -- Car care bowl 12/28/12
8. Wisconsin vs Stanford -- Rose Bowl  1/1/13
9. MS State vs Northwestern -- Gator Bowl 1/1/13
10. Baylor vs UCLA -- Holiday Bowl 12/27/12
11. South Carolina vs Michigan -- Outback Bowl 1/1/13
12. Georgia vs Nebraska -- Capital One Bowl 1/1/13

NBA Team Analysis - Orlando Magic

2012-13

Orlando Magic

• Another team out of the Southeast division in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic.  Jameer Nelson, JJ Redick, Glen 'Big Baby' Davis, and Aaron Afflalo took care of the Lakers  and beat the Warriors last night.  They are now 7-10 on the year.  
• Lost their coach Stan Van Gundy and the centerpiece of the organization, Dwight Howard.  Must feel good to Magic fans to beat Dwight after he asked to be traded from their team.  Aaron Afflalo had a big game and is having a huge season as well leading the team in scoring with 15 ppg.  Nelson and Reddick will mostly have to carry the load and throw it in the post to Big Baby, Nikola Vucevic and Josh McRoberts.  This will be a high powered offensive team when they are hot.  Hedo Turkoglu will add another element to their offense if he returns soon.  Offensive rebounding will need to be an emphasis for their team if they are wanting to compete with teams in their division.   

This year is definitely a rebuilding year for this team with a new head coach and only 5 players returning from last year.  I would be surprised if this team can squeak into the playoffs.

Week 13 Picks

Week 13  

For the Thanksgiving week of football my picks were 9 right and 7 wrong.  Vikings on the road was a tough pick, Falcons are starting to beat up on teams in the NFC South, and Steelers beating the Browns I thought would be a given totally wrong on that one.  RG3 blasted the Cowboys, Cardinals no comment, Saints starting to slide off into next season, and Seattle didn't compete with the Dolphins on the road.  

This week there are all toss up picks.  Playoff clinchers on the line.  Should all be competitive games.  Another fun week has already begun with Drew Brees stinking it up with 5 interceptions against the Dirty Birds.  Here are my Perfect Picks:

THU, NOV 29 TIME 

New Orleans at Atlanta--

 Brees may have pissed some Fantasy football players with with this ugly performance. Falcons won 23-13.

SUN, DEC 2 TIME (ET)

Jacksonville at Buffalo 1:00 PM

Buffalo at home against an improved Jaguars team 29-27

Seattle at Chicago 1:00 PM

With Cutler back and another road game for Seattle Bears win 20-15

Indianapolis at Detroit 1:00 PM

Good matchup! Colts improve every week.  Detroit plays well at home though.  Lions 24-23

Minnesota at Green Bay 1:00 PM

At Lambeau! Come on man there's no way I am not going for the upset. Vikings 23-20

Carolina at Kansas City 1:00 PM

Cam Newton is starting to get better.  Cheifs are getting worse. Panthers 30-17

San Francisco at St. Louis 1:00 PM

QB controversey could spell trouble in the future but not against the team they tied with a few weeks ago.  49er's continue to roll 32-17

New England at Miami 1:00 PM

Tom Brady is playing like a ledgend once again.  Patriots 43-17

Arizona at NY Jets 1:00 PM

2 ugly playing teams battle for the ugly team cup.  Jets at home 24-20

Tampa Bay at Denver 4:05 PM

Great game.  Big game for both teams.  I give this one to Peyton's Broncos 30-29

Cincinnati at San Diego 4:15 PM

Cincy is finding its stride and the Chargers are losing theres.  Rivers probably will be traded after season.  Bengals 26-24

Cleveland at Oakland 4:15 PM

Raiders could surprise me here but Carson Palmer throws so many INT's.  Browns 22-17

Pittsburgh at Baltimore 4:15 PM

Another great matchup if Big Ben was playing but Ravens will prevail at home 20-10

Philadelphia at Dallas 8:20 PM

Cowboys will probably let me down after this but I'm going with them against a struggling Philly team 33-17

MON, DEC 3 TIME (ET)

NY Giants at Washington 8:30 PM

Great way to close out week 13.  RG3 will do good but Eli is to much for this defense.  Giants 30-27

NBA profile -- Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

Last season the Hawks finished 5th in the East with a 40-26 record.  First round exit last season against the Celtics with an injured Horford.  Experience will continue to lead this team to be competitive year in and year out.  The centerpieces of their teams are proven veterans now.  Josh Smith is in his 8th year and Al Horford is in his 5th.  Losing Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams maybe become a challenge towards the end of the season.  

9 new faces on the team including Jeff Teague, Lou Williams & Devin Harris were added during the offseason.  Kyle Korver is expected to be their top sharp shooter.  There will be a different tempo to their offense but the defense of the Hawks will be their strong point of the team.  

The Atlanta Hawks are a work in progress with players that know how to win.  Their division includes the world champs so if they are expecting to win a championship this team will have to gel fast and compete with the Heat.  So far the Hawks are 8-4 on the season.  Al Horford earned the player of the week for the Eastern Conference this week  They have the pieces in place to be successful just have to keep feeding Horford and keep him healthy.  I see a Eastern Conference final in this team's future if they are all healthy by that time.

Top 5 BCS rundown

Shakeup in the NCAA Football Top 5

1.  Notre Dame @ USC -- Huge game is an under statement.  This game is make or break for the Irish.  The Irish have won some big games this season which makes them deserve the number 1 spot.  With the back up QB in for USC and these dominate WR.  Really I don't know what to expect other than a great game.     

2.  Alabama Host Auburn -- Auburn has not been playing well.  Auburn is 3-8 going against a team that can probably beat the K.C Chiefs right now. Tide should be able to roll on to the SEC ship game.

3.  Georgia Host Georgia Tech -- This could be a disastrous trap game for the Bulldogs.  With a chance at a national championship game appearance the Yellow Jackets look to put all the hype to rest

4.    Florida @ Florida State -- WOW! What a way to close out the season for both teams.  The Seminoles should be in the top 3 but the close loss to NC State was too much of a blow for them.  They will look to prove themselves this weekend against a struggling Gator Defense.  My eyes will be glued to this game.

5.   Oregon @ Oregon State -- The Ducks are now on the outside looking in with a huge upset handed to them by Stanford.  The Civil War won't be an easy game for them.  If they escape this game then they will have a chance to the national championship game if the above teams all screw up.

NBA team by team analysis

NBA Team by Team analysis

With 3 weeks in the books on the 2012 NBA season, we have seen some excitement from some teams and some players.  The defending champs Miami Heat have started out where they left off from last year.  

I didn't know how I wanted to breakdown and analyze the basketball season.  Came to the conclusion to do a team by team breakdown of how the season has gone and will be for the respective teams.  Will start out with the champs and go through their division.

To start out check out some of the leaders in the NBA so far.

Best teams by record: East--Knicks     West--Grizzlies

Scoring:  1. Kobe Bryant--27.3pts    2. Kevin Durant--25.4pts    3. LeBron James--24.8pts

Rebounds:  1. Zach Randolph-13.8reb   2. Anderson Varejao--13.7reb    3. Al Jefferson--12reb

Assists: 1. Rajon Rondo--13.3ast  2. Chris Paul--9.9ast  3. Jrue Holliday--8.6 

Miami Heat

In a 68 game season the Heat won the NBA championship behind a strong team performance through the playoffs.  It took them all 7 games to escape a banged up Celtic team and a very young Pacer team before running through the Thunder.

LeBron has won a gold medal and is looking to get his 2nd ring.  The question is can they hold up for an entire 82 game season.  So far they are 9-3 with losses coming from the Knicks, Clippers, and Grizzlies.  All 3 are top teams in the league thus far.  In a 7 game series Miami will dominate any one of these teams.  

They added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to an already dominate lineup that can help carry the load.  Basically all the Heat have to do is stay healthy, keep improving their bench and they will be wearing their 2nd ring this time next year but the target is on their back.

NFL Week 12 predictions

Week 12 NFL Picks, top WR's, and analysis

After starting off mediocre, I was an astonishing 13-1 in last week's picks.  The Panthers are the only team that let me down.  Tampa Bay are proving to me every week that they are a team not to be under estimated. Playoff picture is starting to clear up for a few teams but not for many.  This season will go down to the wire with some good teams not making the playoffs.  Week 12 will be the week that will make or break some of these teams.

  

• Andre Johnson is my player of the week for Week 11
• Patriots were the team of the week scoring 59pts
• Texans, Falcons and Packers escaped let down losses
• Peyton's Broncos continue to shine
• RG3 put up superstar numbers against the failing Eagles 
• 49'ers made Bears look like a High School team
• Ravens get a win on the road in a great game against a banged up Steelers team

Without further ado here are my Thanksgiving Picks:

Date	Away	Matchup	Home	Result	TV
Thu, Nov 22 4:15 PM		Washington at Dallas		Cowboys 29-22
		Cowboys struggle at home but will find a way to contain RG3
Thu, Nov 22 8:20 PM		New England at New York		Patriots 38 - 13
		Patriots are playing like a Super Bowl team if they didn't have injuries. Jets need help
Fri, Nov 23 12:30 AM		Houston at Detroit		Texans 24-20
		2 great receivers play but Lions only play 1 quarter per game so Houston prevails with a strong defense
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Buffalo at Indianapolis		Colts 23-21
		Indy bounce back after get mollywhopped last week by Patriots
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Minnesota at Chicago		Vikings 27-20
		Should be an exciting game.  AP had a week to rest now its back to destroying defenses.  Bears O-Line got heavily exposed against 49'ers will be under pressure a lot
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Atlanta at Tampa Bay		Bucs 30-27
		NFC south teams are tough to beat at home I said this when ATL lost their 1st game
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Oakland at Cincinnati		Bengals 31-20
		Raiders on the road tough to get a win.  Bengals A.J Green and Andy Dalton are a great combo.
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Denver at Kansas City		Broncos 40-17
		Peyton stays healthy his team wins again.  KC should start getting ready for draft day 2013
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Pittsburgh at Cleveland		Steelers 20-10
		Banged up Pitt team still has a good defense and now they have Plaxico 'shootyaself' Burress.  Should be enough to beat turnover happy Cleveland
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Seattle at Miami		Seahawks 26-17
		Dolphins have lost their swag and have no one on the team that has any.  Seattle is 2nd in the league in sacks.  Will get to the QB early and often
Sun, Nov 25 1:00 PM		Tennessee at Jacksonville		Jaguars 23-20
		This one is a toss up.  Chad Henne stepping up but its hard to go against Chris Johnson going against the 29th ranked defense against the run.  Jacksonville plays tough at home
Sun, Nov 25 4:05 PM		Baltimore at San Diego		Ravens 31-29
		Chargers need to start all over again.  Ravens continue their road to the Super Bowl
Sun, Nov 25 4:25 PM		St. Louis at Arizona		Cardinals 23-20
		Cardinals will finally get another win behind their 3rd starting QB this season.  When will they realize that they have the best WR in the game?
Sun, Nov 25 4:25 PM		San Francisco at New Orleans		Saints 33-30
		2 tough teams but once again NFC South at home is hard to beat
Sun, Nov 25 8:20 PM		Green Bay at New York		34-31
		Giants get back in stride with a big win at home
Mon, Nov 26 8:30 PM		Carolina at Philadelphia Vick still out and O-Line for the Eagles is horrendous.  Cam can you get a win on the road?		Panthers 29-27

Top 5 Wide Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson
2. Reggie Wayne
3. Andre Johnson
4. Roddy White
5. A.J Green