Sports Agenda For Thursday (6/23/11)
Big Story:
I hate to say I told you so, but all the good feelings from the Marlins victory Thursday night, yeah, lasted all of one night as the Fish dropped another game in June bringing their record in the month to I believe 2-20.
Plus, the NBA Draft is tonight, who will the Heat take?
All that, and a little FAIL in today's agenda.
Marlins: (off, next game, Friday @Mariners, 10:10 p.m.)
Well, I can say this with 100 percent confidence…the Marlins will not lose tonight!!!
Of course they're not playing tonight, but let's not split hairs.
So the Fish still haven't won a series since late May.
These guys have been so EPICALLY bad and have failed at such an EPIC level, it makes the Florida Panthers look like a solid franchise.
Ouch.
There are a few bright spots though for the Fish.
Hanley Ramirez seems to be trying to break out of his season-long slump.
Mike Stanton has 16 dingers, 39 runs, and 43 RBI's for the season.
And Gaby Sanchez has been solid all season long and is still hitting around .300.
Still, this team needs to go as crazy as a Kardashian in an NBA locker room to get back into the NL East race.
The Marlins are currently 14 games out of first place and 3.5 games behind the Mets for 4th place.
The Nationals are in third and should be getting an influx of hitting soon when Bryce Harper finally hits the majors.
Needless to say, the Marlins have dug themselves a hole that they will not be able to get out of this season.
NBA Draft:
There are likely three names at the top of the Heat's wish list: Reggie Jackson (not that one), Shelvin Mack, and Nolan Smith.
Jackson has an absurd 7 foot wing span is a 6'3" point guard. He's a good mid-range shooter and can put the ball on the floor and make a play.
Had he not hurt his knee, he would likely have been close to a lottery pick. If he's there, which doesn't look good, the Heat will jump on him in a hurry, and he will be a STEAL!
Nolan Smith is a safe pick. He's a four-year player at Duke who took over last season and led the Blue Devils to the tournament when Kyrie Irving went down. He graduated and is mature enough to handle the South Florida life.
Shelvin Mack is a 6'3" guard from Butler. His value slipped last season after a subpar junior season, but he's still a solid guard. He's more likely a backup, but would provide needed depth to the Heat's roster.
Finally, there's one other name that could sneak in there if no team snaps him up near the end of the first round: JaJuan Johnson.
He's a 6'10" forward out of Purdue. He will have to put on some weight, but he's long and athletic. His range is about 18 feet. If he can put on weight, he could be a solid player and he can get to the hoop. Teams aren't high on him due to his weight, but he's a four-year starter at Purdue who improved every year.
Those are four solid picks the Heat can make at the top of the second round.
And Heat fans would be happy with any of them, but especially Jackson, Smith, or Johnson.
