Sports Agenda for Monday (4/29/13)
Top Stories:
The brooms came out in Milwaukee for the Heat. The Lakers are mercifully done, wish Dwight Howard was too. The Fins got Gator happy in the final few rounds of the draft, so we'll weigh on what they walked away with. And I do something many of you probably never thought I would, I defend Tim Tebow.
Quote of the Day:
"What the hell's going on out here?" – Vince Lombardi (in tribute to our massive computer issues Monday morning in the webcenter)
Miami Heat: (off the rest of the week)
The Heat, to absolutely no one's surprise, sent Milwaukee home for the rest of the playoffs with a four game sweep.
Let's face it, this was over as soon as the pairings were released.
The better part will be if Brooklyn can knock off Chicago in Game 4.
That will be better because it will give the Heat even more rest before round two.
Back to Miami for a minute…
They looked crisp throughout the series and even though they turned the ball over a ton of times, they still looked like the best team in the league.
That said, I am starting to get a little nervous about the Knicks only because they present matchup problems, especially if they keep shooting the lights out.
That may not happen and I still say I don't think anyone can beat Miami four times out of seven, just not happening this year.
Miami will be off until at least Saturday and possibly longer, depending on the Bulls/Nets series.
Los Angeles Lakers:
I've said it before and I'll say it again…Dwight Howard is the most overhyped and overrated player in the NBA.
He's essentially Terrell Owens in an NBA uniform without the talent.
How in the hell do you get thrown out of a series defining game?
It's a sign of how petulant, immature, and is just a bad teammate.
Ask Orlando, I guarantee you they are happier without him there than with him there…especially if they win the draft lottery.
I have to be honest. If I'm a Lakers fan, I want the guy gone.
I don't want the Howard show part XVIII
If you don't believe me…here's what Magic Johnson had to say about it on Twitter….
"Dwight that was a big no, no. Your teammates and the fans were counting on you. Dwight I've been swept before but I never let my team down by getting kicked out of the game. Dwight with an already depleted team you couldn't afford to foul out or get kicked out. Having you on the floor was the only chance for the @Lakers. I'm soooooooo happy the season is over. With the talent on this team, this could go down as one of the worst seasons in Lakers' history."
The only thing that could make this more perfect would be if the Lakers hired Stan Van Gundy to be their coach.
Seriously, Dwight is THE. MOST. SELFISH. Player in the NBA and that's saying something.
Contrast him to LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Allen, Haslem, even Westbrook, Paul, Durant….there's no comparison.
Miami Dolphins Draft:
We've gone over what I thought of the first round pick of Dion Jordan…short answer, I liked it.
In the second round the Fins picked cornerback Jamar Taylor out of Boise State.
Solid pick. He'll become a starter either this year or next year. He's fast and athletic, so he'll be on the field soon.
In the third round:
Dallas Thomas, Tackle/Guard
Good pick – The Fins needed help along the Line and Thomas strikes me as a solid NFL guard. He's got short arms, which is a red flag for him playing tackle. I just think he's your prototypical guard, which the Fins needed a good right guard moving forward. If nothing else, Thomas provides good depth.
Will Davis, Cornerback
Meh pick – I didn't know a lot about Davis coming out of Utah State. They had a solid defense the last few years and it got their coach a head coaching gig at Wisconsin, so he must be able to play a little.
In the fourth round:
Jelani Jenkins, Outside Linebacker
He's a faster linebacker who will probably do well if he can make the grade on special teams to start his career.
Dion Sims, Tight End
Solid Pick – He's 6'5", 262 pounds and was the top blocking tight end on Mike Mayock's board. He's big, nasty, and can occasionally make a good catch when you need it.
Fifth round:
Mike Gillislee, Running Back
Meh pick – not sold on him after an up and down career at UF. A special teams guy who may get some game action on third downs is my guess.
Caleb Sturgis, Kicker
Good Pick – He's got a great leg and is accurate and got better as the season went on. He'll also save the Fins about $2.7 million this year if he can unseat Dan Carpenter, who has been average at best since signing a long-term deal.
Heading into the draft, the Fins needed help at offensive line, cornerback, linebacker, tight end.
They filled all of those needs and got a serious upgrade at defensive end.
I still would like to see Eric Winston, Tyson Clabo, or even Bryant McKinnie get signed to help the line, but we'll see.
Tim Tebow:
Finally today, the Jets released quarterback Tim Tebow this morning.
For Jets fans, this is a day that's long been overdue.
For Tim Tebow, it's come at the worst possible time.
The Jets waited until after the draft, when every team filled their rosters up to release him.
In other words, he has little to no chance of signing anywhere immediately.
This is the Jets after all and when it comes to this franchise, it's all class.
Look, everyone knew ahead of the draft no one would trade a pick for Tebow.
Had they cut him a month ago, it would have at least given him a punchers chance to get a job.
As of now, he's going to be on the sidelines and his career may be over.
Now, part of it is Tebow's own fault.
Multiple teams have wanted him to learn to play tight end or even an h-back role and his pride has gotten in the way of wanting to be a quarterback.
Remember the ole saying Tebow, pride goes before the fall.
Still, I fault the Jets organization for most of this.
They fostered the circuslike atmosphere, and never utilized the kid at all. I mean seriously, how much worse can he be than Mark Sanchez.
And remember, when he got there, he was coming off a solid season in Denver that included a playoff victory.
So what now for Tebow?
There's always the Canadian football league.
If not there, and if he won't play tight end, then he has to look for a team that runs his style of offense.
That narrows it down to teams like San Francisco and Carolina.
Wouldn't it be odd if he signed with Carolina? He was the starter and Cam Newton was his backup at UF and now it's the exact opposite?
San Fran is intriguing because Harbaugh is a quarterback guru.
Past those two teams, I just don't see a fit.
Plus, whoever signs him will have to sign on for the ESPN-led Tebow media circus and let's face it, most teams in the NFL loathe any media coverage, even when it's truthful.
