Kyle’s View

Its a tough decision for a team to make when they have the first pick in the NFL draft. The team must decide wether they are as a franchise. Are you one or two players away or is there a need to build around a few key players and add more and more talent. The Lions are in need of quarterback, but the same thing can be said for many positions on a team that goes 0-16. There decision seems to have come down to three players Matthew Stafford, Aaron Curry, and Jason Smith.

Matthew Stafford seems to be the quarterback of choice over USC’s Mark Sanchez. Stafford is the clear choice at quarterback. His big arm stands out as well as his intelligence. He can make the correct reads when the pressure is on. He also played in the SEC which has tons strong defensive teams and presents tough matchups each week.

Jason Smith is the next option for the Lions. He is a guy who the Lions can pencil in for the next 10 years at left tackle and be happy. The Lions can do something similar to what the Dolphins did last year. They can take that offensive lineman, then use a veteran at QB and draft another QB later if your feel Rhett Bohmar or Nate Davis can be the answer. The other solution lies in the other first round pick the Lions have. Offensive tackle is deep this year and the chance to draft a Michael Oher or Eben Britton. The Lions should make this move and draft a tackle with the number 20 pick overall.

This leads to the third option for the Lions which is Aaron Curry. He is outstanding athlete that will make strong center piece for the Lions to build their defense around. He was a stand out at Wake Forrest and will continue his progression as he enters the NFL.

The Lions aren’t going to win the Super Bowl this year. They may look at the Dolphins and say “Why not us?” but the Dolphins had talent and added veteran leadership. Aaron Curry is the pick the Lions should make. They can build a solid defense to go with their offense that is building around some really good pieces in Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson. Daunte Culpepper can hold down the position for the next couple years. He is said to be looking good in mini camp but that could be smoke and mirrors to make teams think they dont want a quarterback.

Dwight Howard is a top five player that has potential to be a top 3 player and is completely underutilized. He continues to put up solid numbers all season long but when its clutch time in a game, either Hedo Turkoglu or Rashard Lewis are jacking up a three pointer or shooting a fade away to try and win a game. Watching the Magic vs Sixers game one tonight, this could not be more apparent. At halftime the game was close and the Magic were blowing opportunity after opportunity to get Howard a shot within two feet of the hoop. The third quarter showed the power of Dwight Howard especially with the weak front line the Sixers have. The had an 18 point lead and by the end of the fourth quarter Andre Igoudala has a chance to hit a shot at the end of the game. Howard should get the ball with the game on the line unless they need a three at the buzzer. Dwight dunked over Theo Ratliff with no issues and can do this against most other NBA front court players. The only reason that seems to be present is the poor free throw percentage. If that’s the case then maybe Orlando should ask the Lakers and Miami for advice. Shaq is a terrible free throw shooter that got the ball in late game situation and no team could stop him. Howard has the same potential to dominate games as Shaq did. The question then becomes wether or not Howard has the killer instinct. If that is the case then the Magic need to make a move to get a end of game scorer that can take over a game.

Maybe its just me, but the NBA doesn’t have the same feeling as it used to. The rivalries have faded and stars are becoming few and far between. It seems like the NBA season has come down to 3 teams and two players. All the sportscasters, writers, and broadcasters talk about a specific niche of NBA. The two main topics are Lakers vs Celtics and Lebron vs Kobe. The Cavs are so overrated i can’t put it into words. Lebron puts up amazing numbers and carries his team on a nightly basis but his supporting cast is the same as last year in which the were swept by the Celtics. They added Mo Williams who is a solid player and plays a important role but is not the sidekick Lebron needs to win the title. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is still decent but hes reaching the end of his career and cant contribute the way he used to. The Cavs also have to rely on Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson to hit big shots at key moments and i just dont see it.

The Lakers and Celtics rivalry is awesome and can create some new excitement for the NBA, but are we going to have to wait until June every year to watch them play for something meaningful. I feel like there is no reason to watch the 82 game season. Even with this Kobe and Paul Pierce are not young guys who can carry the NBA forever.

Do teams like Utah and Denver matter? Utah has a solid team that has a floor leader in Deron Williams who is vastly underrated. Denver acquired an Chauncey Billups for an past his prime AI which made the Nuggets the second best team in the western conference. But does there play mean anything? Does anyone really care what happens with these teams besides the people in their markets? Maybe being in Sacramento watching the Kings waffle through the season and make moves that make no sense has made me jaded but the NBA just doesn’t have the same allure it used to.

In addition are fans not getting everything they should be getting? Amare’ getting hurt all but eliminated the Suns from contention. Manu’ Ginobili being out for the season made the Spurs an above average team at best. Even if these teams are healthy, can they compete with the Lakers? That said are the Lakers even that good? I think Kobe is an amazing player and has some good peices around him if Andrew Bynum is healthy and Lamar Odom can produce. Maybe the problem is the talent level of the NBA isn’t at the levels of the past. Maybe the late 90′s and early 2000′s spoiled us. I remember growing up with great rivalries with Phoenix and Dallas, as well as Sacramento and the Lakers. The sound bites of Shaq saying Sacramento was a cow town or Mark Cuban running up and down the court in Phoenix after Dirk hits a big shot. The magnitude is the thing that seems to be lost in the new NBA.

The NBA has players to build around with stars like Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard, but the NBA don’t seem to take full advantage of their potential. These guys should be on TV all the time showcasing the future. Maybe the NBA is too watered down. What if the David Stern took two or four teams out of the NBA? This would make all the teams stronger, keep good but not great players in college for longer and make the brand of basketball more exciting to watch. It would be interesting to see how players would get re-dispersed. Maybe worst record gets first pick. Maybe the Kings then pick Danny Granger if Indiana were no longer a team. Would make teams much stronger and get players out of the NBA when they aren’t NBA caliber players.

Maybe i’m out of my mind and the upcoming NBA playoffs will remind me why i loved the NBA but the NBA does need to do something to improve its product or the end could be here sooner that most people think.

In the drama that is the Broncos offseason, Jay Cutler has received his wish and has been traded. The Broncos asked for 2 first round picks in exchange for Cutler and the Chicago Bears stepped up to the plate. The Broncos will recieve a first round pick this year and next as well as a third round pick and Kyle Orton who made strides last year and was a productive Quarterback. This trade makes both teams better. The Bears desperately need a QB and the Broncos can use the picks and Orton to build with new coach Josh McDaniels.