Is the MLB in the Right for Suspending Ryan Braun? By Peter DiPaola

Major League Baseball is in the right for suspending Ryan Bruan for the remainder of the 2013 season without pay for landing on a list of players that were involved with a performance enhancing drug lab out of Florida.  Some have said this is not fair, I disagree considering how he got out of a suspension back in 2011 for failing a drug test following his MVP season after a drug test from that October became public via a leak in December 2011.  The test had revealed a high level of testosterone due to performance enhancing drugs however in a 2-1 arbitration hearing he was cleared from serving a 50 game suspension when he claimed that the test was probably tampered with (and was not), a later test had normal levels of testosterone.

Due to the fact that he lied his way out of a suspension and probably stopped performance enhancing drug (PED) usage to pass a test only makes this suspension handed down to him fair.  Had he been suspended the rest of the year without losing pay that would not be acceptable to me, but because he is not making money which may not hurt him as much because he is a highly paid player but will be a warning to the MLB.  For another player who won’t be making the money Braun is may think twice about using PEDs if it means their way to make a living will be stopped for a pro-longed period of time.

Lying to get out of a suspension and then landing on a list of players linked to a lab is pretty sad because he had his chance to just own up and take a 50 game suspension but he instead lied and is now paying the price.  Bruan’s stupidity lead to this moment and he has nobody to blame but himself, I am pleased that he got the punishment he did, hopefully as mentioned this punishment will stop more players from using PEDs.

Time will only tell for the other athletes on the list but this is a great start.

Second Half Expectations on the Pittsburgh Pirates

By Aron Minkoff

Pittsburgh Pirates Team President Frank Coonelly appeared on a Pittsburgh sports talk radio show Friday morning to discuss the high expectation of the Pirates in the second half of the season. He was asked what would he deem as an acceptable finish to the season. His answer, “The only thing that’s acceptable is the National League Central crown.”

Those are high expectations being put on the 56-37 Pirates, who before the season, were picked to finish fourth in the National League Central. Many fans are simply asking for the team to have their first winning season in 20 years. Those do however match Clint Hurdle’s pre-season expectation of 95 wins this season. Currently, the Pirates sit a game behind the NL Central best, St. Louis Cardinals, and four games ahead of the Reds for the number one wild-card spot.

The next few weeks should serve as a pretty big indicator as to whether or not the Pirates are National League Central contenders or pretenders. They open up the second half of the season tonight, at the Cincinnati Reds, who could take a huge bite into the Pirates four-game wild-card lead. Following the three game Reds series, the Pirates travel to D.C. to face the Nationals who are currently right behind the Reds for a wild card spot. Then following a quick series against the National League East last place Marlins, the Pirates have a crucial five game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

I predict that the Pirates pitching staff will continue to pitch lights out, and the addition of a healthy Wandy Rodriguez will bolster the rotation. Francisco Liraiano and Jeff Locke will continue their Cy Young resumes. Charlie Morton will work his way out of starting pitcher consideration for next season and AJ Burnett will continue to pitch late into games but will yield a few runs along the way. Teammates like Jeanmar Gomez, Gerrit Cole and Brandon Cumpton will make spot starts during the pennant race in an effort to keep arms fresh going down the stretch.

I further speculate that Neil Walker will pick up his batting average and continue to make stellar defensive plays at second base. Pedro Alvarez is going to finish the season with a batting average above .260 and blast 40-plus home runs. Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen will continue to put together terrific seasons, as will catcher Russell Martin who is proving himself to be quite the leader. Jose Tabata will drop off slightly, but will still hit about .270 but will not continue at his rapid pace. Shortstop Jordy Mercer will play well enough to earn more starts than Clint Barmes, but will not prove to be the long-term solution at shortstop.

The Pirates will not make a blockbuster trade for a Giancarlo Stanton or any other pricy player for that matter. Neil Huntington is not ready to trade away Gregory Polanco, Tony Sanchez nor Jameson Tallion. The Pirates will trade for a few lesser known bench players and in the process will end Brandon Inge’s stint with the Pirates.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will win the National League Central crown, in doing so, they will finish with the best record in the National League. They will however lose in the first round of the playoffs to the wild card, St. Louis Cardinals, leaving many to wonder what would have happened if the team made that monumental trade in July.

The Trying Times of the Washington Nationals

By: Michael Clementi

Last season, the Washington Nationals took Major League Baseball by storm going 98-64 for the best record in baseball. With a young nucleus that included a healthy Stephen Strasbug and reigning National League Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper, the Nationals seemed on track to take control of a relatively weak NL East.

This season, however, has been a nightmare for the Nationals organization. After Strasburg’s worst start in his three year career against the lowly Miami Marlins, the Nationals stand at 47-46 with two games left before the All-Star Break. The season has been marked by disappointments by many of the key players from last year’s team.

Let’s start with Harper, the first overall pick in the 2010 draft who Sports Illustrated deemed as one of the best prospects ever as just a sophomore in high school. Harper has only been able to play in 56 of the teams 93 games batting a disappointing .269 with 13 home runs. He got injured running into the right field fence in Los Angeles against the Dodgers in May, causing him to miss the second half of May and all of June. In his 12 games since returning, Harper has hit a disappointing .209 with one home run and 6 RBI. Although Harper has not lived up to expectations this season, Harper is not the only Nationals player who needs to improve during the second half.

Stephen Strasburg, the first pick in the 2009 draft has played well, but he has had a trouble with consistency recently. After having an impressive 1.89 ERA in June, Strasburg has had a 6.60 ERA in his three starts in July after giving up seven earned runs in two innings against the aforementioned Marlins (yes, Marlins fans, I’m just as shocked as you). Overall, he has a 2.99 ERA this season over 18 starts with only a 5-7 record to show for it because of a lack of offense.

Jayson Werth, the major signing from three off-seasons ago, has only appeared in 62 games and is batting an above-average .298. Wilson Ramos, the starting catcher who has been fighting injuries most of his career, has only played in 21 games this season after having leg injuries all season. Then there’s Danny Espinosa, the second baseman who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2011, had been struggling so much that he had to be sent back down to AAA Syracuse in June.  Denard Spahn, the Nationals big acquisition in a trade from the Minnesota Twins last offseason, is batting .257 as the teams leadoff hitter. If your leadoff hitter has a low average, the offense will struggle to produce as have the Nationals offense this season.

Although the team has not played well this season, there is still some hope as the Nationals trail the Braves by only six games and the Reds by five for the second Wild Card Spot. If the team nucleus remains healthy the Nationals will be in the hunt for the playoffs come September.

SWRST: Semi-Weekly Random Sports Thoughts The Great College Switcheroo

By Zack Hauseman

Ah, the old college switcheroo. Er, more like the new college switcher-de-doo. It’s happening right now, like it or not. How about all this conference realignment? We, as sports fans get to be confused as fudge about what conference college teams are in anymore. Even the schools themselves are having trouble with this nowadays. Trouble indeed, as UConn’s omission of UCF on a conference promotional piece showed. Yes, they actually forgot that UCF was in their own conference, the American athletic conference or whatever it’s called now. My own school, Temple, will be a part of this league as well and will have its third different conference in three years. From the MAC to the BE to the AAC to the WTF. I doubt anyone really expected to have to change the logos so much. All that money to repaint probably comes out of my tuition. Or the athletic budget, whatever. Something like 40 schools are doing the conference movearoo or have done it within a few years. Chances are your school has done this this year or recently.

The Huskies will be a part of the all-new AAC in 2013. Or is it the ACC or the Big East? I can’t remember. I’m going to go watch some good old MAC football…

But that’s not even all of the ditcharooing going on either. Butler fans simultaneously pooped themselves in surprise and began crying when they found out that the beloved Brad Stevens had abruptly decided to leave the program that he led to two national title appearances for the Celtics. Who, by the way are a ways off from being highly competitive in the NBA with all these trade shenanigans going on. Is a slightly troubled NBA ball club worth a program in college ball that is ascending like a Saturn V rocket? NO. Not in my opinion. The NBA is not directly translatable from College. Just ask Mr. Pitino. Or maybe that’s what he is going for? In any case I do get in a sense why it would be a no-brainer move. It’s just that a quality program is going to have some serious problems finding any semblance of a coach in July, and most people will not argue that Butler would’ve done so well without Stevens. And even when coaches aren’t jumping from college to the pros they are very often hopping around the college-sphere. “Shaka, don’t leave me,” says the VCU fan base. Those sheeple are right you know. It’s better for the program and college basketball alike if he stays.

Look, over yonder! An NBA team and a higher salary. Better hop my 9 year contract!

All of this is starting to make me dizzy. At least the general structure of everything is going to stay the same, right? WRONG. College football is soon going to see its new college playoff thingy come into effect. I should qualify that actually I think this is great. It’s just that it’s one more thing I’m going to have to remember when watching sports. I watch this stuff so I don’t have to remember anything, right? And this will probably just be a bunch more late season games for Alabama to not lose. At least we still have March Madness, which ironically is the thing that makes sense to me most anymore in the college sports world. What’s next, Penn State basketball being good? *Shudder*

I found this in my garage and that’s when I remembered that the Nittany Lions play basketball.

College sports are changing, sort of. I mean, in the end, are we losing any teams? Not really. Are we going to have fewer games? No. So we theoretically will all the same action during the college sports season. But we are losing conferences that not only make sense but also have instant name association.  The very recent past is going to be starkly different from the next year alone. What do you think?

Photo Credits:

“UCONN Huskies” by G Talan

“Coach Stevens” by bradjward

“Some Random Penn State Basketball found in my garage that I used today with shame” by Zachary Hauseman

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All photographs used are licensed under the CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License, the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License, or the Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.

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Which Pirates Should Be All-Stars

By Aron Minkoff

The 2013 MLB All Star rosters will be announced today, and it would seem as if many Pirates players are deserving of getting All Star nods at this point in the season.  In the last 20 seasons the Pirates have only had more than one all-star on six occasions, and more than two only once.  This year it seems nearly impossible to imagine the Pirates having any less than 3 if not more than that.  Here are the cases for several Pirates in the order of their likelihood of getting selected in my opinion.

Jason Grilli-Grilli leads the National League with 28 saves, which is some five saves ahead of a second place tie between Rafael Soriano of Washington and Craig Kimbrel of Atlanta.  In fact Grilli also ranks well among ERA for closers at 2.15, which just experienced a spike following Grilli allowing three runs in a 6-5 win over the Angels.  Grilli would appear to be a lock for the National League bullpen.

Jeff Locke-Locke boasts an impressive 8-1 record with a 2.12 ERA.  His ERA is the second lowest in the National League, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Locke has been a dominant force on the mound for the Pirates and is deserving of an all-star bid.

Pedro Alvarez-Alvarez leads all National League third basemen with 21 homeruns, the next closest third baseman is David Wright of the Mets with 13.  Alvarez leads National League third basemen with 56 RBI which is 14 ahead of second place Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals.  While Alvarez only has a .243 batting average his numbers still remain impressive and he is certainly worthy of an all-star nod.

Andrew McCutchen-While he is not the most deserving Pirates player out of the bunch of potential all-stars, he is putting together a solid season.  McCutchen is the owner of a .298 batting average, nine home runs, 45 RBI’s and 18 stolen bases.  He ranks in the top 10 for both batting average and stolen bases, and is not too far out on RBI’s and home runs.  McCutchen is not the most deserving of an all-star bid, but he is one of the most consistent and solid outfielders in the National League and it would not be surprising to see him earn a spot on the National League team.

Mark Melancon-Melancon is the set-up man for Jason Grilli and has been one of the most consistent relievers in all of baseball.  In 41 1/3 innings pitched he has only allowed four earned runs for an impressive 0.87 ERA.  He has been as steady as they come and has impressed many.  While he would seem deserving, he would be an absolute long shot at getting an all-star game bid.  Relievers that are not closers rarely do.

Pirates Sweep the Brewers

By Aron Minkoff

“With the second best record in all of baseball, the Buccos are coming!”  Those were the words of Root Sports’ Pirates play by play caller Greg Brown following a very convincing Pirates win over the Los Angelas Angels on Saturday, June 22.  For analysis of that game and the entire Angels series see: https://zeebloggers.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/i-believe-in-the-2013-pittsburgh-pirates/

Since then the Pirates went on to win their next six wins and currently sit at 51-30, which gives them the best record in all of baseball.  At the exact midway point of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates own the best record in baseball, and are showing no signs of slowing down.

What is even more reassuring about the Pirates, is in their 14-inning victory over the Brewers, is that following a two hour and twenty minute rain delay in the second inning, the bullpen pitched 12 innings of 2-hit baseball.  Vin Mazzaro pitched five perfect innings and Tony Watson pitched three perfect innings, as the Pirates went on to sweep the Brewers.

Russell Martin came off of the bench to pinch hit in the bottom of the 14th inning and delivered a walk off single up the middle to win the game.  After the game he said “It’s exciting,we are more than halfway to 100 wins now!”  It is tough to not get swept up in this excitement for a team that used to just viewed as something to watch in between Penguins and Steelers season.  For me personally, after being at PNC Park for over seven hours on Sunday, its tough to not be excited.

The Pirates did not play great on Sunday, but just as they have in the past, they survived and found a way to win.  The win capped off an impressive first half of the season as the Pirates appear to be poised to break the 20 year streak of losing seasons. In order for the Pirates to do just that, they need to hold a record of 31-50 in the second half of the season, which as simple as that may appear to currently be, until Pirates fans will truly believe.

Semi-Weekly Random Sports Thoughts: SWRST Gattaca

By Zach Hausman

Genetics dictate pretty much everything about a person physically. Hundreds or thousands of genes dictate some aspects of intelligence while single genes can imbue things like eye color. If you’re me, a few genetic mutations have gifted colorblindness and myopia (nearsightedness).  Essentially, the vast majority of your physical traits and therefore your relative sports fitness were dictated entirely by randomized genetics. If you’re short, blame your parents.

As technology inches forward, we might have some moral dilemmas to ponder. But more importantly, what’s going to happen to sports???

My present existential quandary really came to me when I was watching the sci-fi classic Gattaca. This 1997 movie may have been overshadowed by Titanic and doesn’t have any Celine Dion gems in it but it packs a rather interesting punch. At some point, it’s pretty certain that the human race will have the ability to dictate the genetics of people of the future. The movie examines what might happen when some people are genetically optimized and some aren’t. If the world is full of perfect people, what happens to those who are not? Would you be discriminated against? Have trouble finding work? Be horrible at sports? I have no idea. Check out the movie if it sounds intriguing.

Ethan Hawke portrays the chief protagonist in Gattaca. So dreamy.

Part of my point is that we already have parallel issues in sports today. The major one is pretty obviously performance enhancing drugs. Steroids, amphetamines, and other drugs that can increase physical or mental performance are as a general rule, banned from sports. Why? Because it gives some players an unfair advantage. It’s unsafe and a bad example for fans as well.

However this concept of having an unfair advantage in sports never really made a whole lot of sense to me. It’s obvious that some athletes have advantages over others. If the physical dichotomy between players wasn’t huge, every sport would be boring. Sports in general have always been physical contests between people who have no control of their basic traits like height and build. The will to win and hard work make sport interesting. Yet it isn’t inconceivable that in the future it might be easy to say, increase your child’s height before he or she was even born. Theoretically you could “build” your child to be a huge linebacker or a towering center or whatever else you want. They would be perfect for sports. And no matter how hard the competition might try, it might be impossible to compensate.

Maybe I’m the only one thinking ahead to this, but isn’t it a little bit worrying? I mean if this type of genetic modification is possible then who’s to say we won’t see teams full of perfect athletes competing perfectly against each other. Do we prohibit altered people from sports? Can we reverse discriminate?  Something is going to have to break in the future if sports are going to remain the same.

This analysis also brings up the fact that sports and athletes have been changing over the years even without the impetus of genetic modification. We all know that the founding fathers would’ve looked a little short next to the average person today and there’s probably been a gradual increase in peak athleticism as it is. But even simple things like advances in fitness and training technology have made it possible to get better athletes recently. But will this new genetic challenge be different? I haven’t the slightest idea. What do you think?

Photo Credits:

“Ethan Hawke- “Gattaca” 1997” by Jack Samuels

“DNA on an agarose gel” by Joseph Elsbernd

Click on images for more details.

All photographs used are licensed under the CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License or the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License

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2013 NBA Mock Draft

By Nathan Goldenberg

Just a week after the Miami Heat won their second consecutive NBA championship; the attention of basketball fans across the country has been turned to the Barclays Center for the 2013 NBA draft.  In one of the weaker drafts in recent memories there isn’t a can’t miss prospect or a consensus number one pick. Without immediate contributors, only time will tell who will walk away from Brooklyn a winner.

1.  Cleveland Cavaliers – Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky

The number one pick has come down to a two horse between a pair of bigs coming off lower body injuries but at the end of the day the Cavs take Nerlens Noel out of Kentucky. Noel’s thin stature and lack of a polished offensive game have many worried but his ability to be a defensive force right away forces Cleveland’s hand as they get an athletic big man to run the pick and roll with star point guard Kyrie Irving.

2.  Orlando Magic – Ben McLemore, G, Kansas

Despite poor showings in pre-draft workouts and lack of a killer instinct at Kansas, McLemore can fill it up whether it be from downtown or using his speed and driving to the lane. He’s the kind of two-way player the Magic will need as they continue their rebuilding process. With rumors of Arron Afflalo on the way out, look for Orlando to find the future of their franchise here.

3.  Washington Wizards – Otto Porter, F, Georgetown

With their backcourt set for the future in John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Wizards turn to the versatile forward from Georgetown to replace the injuries and ineffectiveness that Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster have been providing them.

4.  Charlotte Bobcats – Alex Len, C, Maryland

After almost going number one to Cleveland, Alex Len gets snatched up by a Bobcats team desperate for a game changing big man. Len showed a skilled low post game during his last year at Maryland and can develop his defense under the tutelage of recently hired assistant coach Patrick Ewing who spent years working with Dwight Howard in Orlando.

5.  Phoenix Suns – Anthony Bennett, F, UNLV

Despite weighing in almost 20 pounds overweight after recovering from an elbow injury the Suns look to add the talent and vast upside Bennett brings to a roster firmly in rebuilding mode. He showed in college that he has the ability to play the perimeter and also bang down low with the bigs.

6.  New Orleans Pelicans – Trey Burke, G, Michigan

Drafting as the Pelicans for the first time, New Orleans looks to make up for last year’s blunder of picking Austin Rivers by selecting national Player of the Year Trey Burke. Burke is the point guard of the future and should succeed running the pick and roll with Anthony Davis and finding open threes for sharpshooter Ryan Anderson.

7.  Sacramento Kings – Shabazz Muhammad , F, UCLA

It’s simple, the Kings need scoring and Muhammad can provide it in bunches. A highly touted recruit who fell short of expectations due to off the court and character issues should fit in nicely right next to the league’s biggest firecracker DeMarcus Cousins. First year head coach Mike Malone will have quite the task in taming these two hot heads.

8.  Detroit Pistons – CJ McCollum, G, Lehigh

After gaining national attention for leading Lehigh to a first round upset over Duke in the NCAA tournament, McCollum struggled with a foot injury that kept him sidelined the majority of last season. The Pistons have one of the best young frontcourts in the NBA but it has been made clear that Brandon Knight is not a starting point guard. They’ll target McCollum who has the ability to lead an offense and also make a big impact on the defensive end.

9.  Minnesota Timberwolves – Victor Oladipo, G, Indiana

Flip Saunders hasn’t attempted to hide his infatuation for Oladipo and is able to land him in a spot where we wouldn’t have expected to. The Wolves need to replace out of position Luke Ridnour and do so with an elite defender who has room to grow on the offensive end.

10.  Portland Trailblazers – Cody Zeller, F, Indiana

Last year every starter on the Blazers played at least 35 minutes per game so they’ll look to add some depth to their bench with a backup for LaMarcus Aldridge. With Meyers Leonard still developing at center, Zeller will provide athleticism and scoring off the bench for a team that severely lacked both last season.

11.  Philadelphia 76ers – Steven Adams, C, Pittsburgh

Much like another center in Pennsylvania, Adams failed to make the impact that was expected of him. But this raw talent from New Zealand possesses the physical attributes and potential that has scouts drooling, forcing Philly to take him to fill the void at center a few years down the road.

12.  Oklahoma City Thunder (from Toronto) – Kelly Olynyk, C, Gonzaga

The biggest area of need for the Thunder is center as right now they start the worthless and expensive Kendrick Perkins. They’ll look to add breakout star Kelly Olynyk who can spread the floor with his mid-range jumper and will have Serge Ibaka protecting him on defense.

13.  Dallas Mavericks – Michael Carter-Williams, G, Syracuse

The Mavericks really don’t want to make this pick. They were going to force themselves to take Dario Saric before he withdrew his name from the draft but now they really don’t want it. In all likelihood, they free themselves of this pick on the quest for Dwight Howard but if not Carter-Williams is the pick. Standing 6’6” and possessing outstanding court vision, he has the tools to one day be the leader of a team.

14.  Utah Jazz – Dennis Schroeder, G, Germany

Schroeder tore it up at the Nike Hoops Summit and without a point guard currently on the roster the Jazz take him off the board at 14. Look for the Jazz to grab another point guard in free agency that he can learn from for a few years before taking over.

15.  Milwaukee Bucks – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G, Georgia

A great player on a horrible Georgia team, Caldwell-Pope took home SEC player of the year honors last season. He has shown the ability to create his own shot and should more than fill the shoes of the recently departed Monta Ellis.

16.  Boston Celtics – Shane Larkin, G, Miami

After dazzling at the combine, Larkin comes to Boston to back up the oft injured Rajon Rondo and perhaps take over in a couple years depending on if the C’s go into full on rebuilding mode and deal Rondo. Larkin’s athleticism should provide a solid contribution off the bench for the near future.

17.  Atlanta Hawks –Mason Plumlee, C, Duke

The Hawks are all in on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes but will need to grab a center here allowing Al Horford to slide to his natural position at the 4. Plumlee may not be starting caliber but look for him to play quality minutes early on.

18.  Atlanta Hawks  (from Houston) – Giannis Adetokunbo, F, Greece

This is nothing more than a money saving move by the Hawks as they try to make a big splash in the free agent market .They’ll look to stash Adetokunbo in Greece as he continues to develop offensive skills.

19.  Cleveland Cavaliers (from LA Lakers) – Sergey Karasev, F, Russia

The Cavs have four picks in the top 33 and don’t have minutes for all of them. They target the sharpshooting prospect who will likely stay in Russia for the next few years. At just 19 years old, Karasev has the potential to make a real impact down the road.

20.  Chicago Bulls – Allen Crabbe, G, California

The Bulls will be looking to add perimeter shooting and grab perhaps the best in the draft here at 20. He showed elite scoring ability during his last year at Cal and should get plenty of open looks once Derrick Rose is back out on the court.

21.  Utah Jazz (Golden State) – Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Michigan

Despite already grabbing a guard, the Jazz attempt to fortify their backcourt with Hardaway. His athleticism should get him open looks to knock down 3s which he has shown the ability to do, at times.

22.  Brooklyn Nets – Gorgui Dieng, C, Louisville

The only player form the Championship team drafted in the first round, Deing can provide necessary length off the bench. Especially with Kirs Humphries on the way out, he should be able to carve out a nice role off the bench.

23.  Indiana Pacers – Reggie Bullock, F, North Carolina

The Pacers are another team rumored to be interested in adding a knockdown shooter and Bullock is one of the best in the draft. After having one of the worst benches last season, Bullock and Stephenson look to provide a nice scoring combo from a reserve role.

24.  New York Knicks – Tony Mitchell, F, North Texas

Mitchell comes off a very disappointing that saw his numbers and the Mean Green’s as a whole fall off. Once projected as a lottery pick, Mitchell has the potential to be one of the steals of the draft if he plays hard.

25.  LA Clippers – Jamaal Franklin, G, SDSU

The Clippers could very well fill their need at the 2 with Arron Afflalo but until that happens, they need someone to take the place of Willie Green. Franklin is a high energy player that can play defense out on the wing and score when he needs to. Oh yea, and he lead his team in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals last year.

26.  Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis)  – Tony Snell, G, New Mexico

Even after adding Oladipo earlier in the draft the Wolves still need help on the wing. Cue Tony Snell who has recently drawn comparisons to former teammate Kawhi Leonard due to his athleticism and defense. Snell is also an underrated scorer who can knock down open 3s for a Minnesota team desperate for some shooting.

27.  Denver Nuggets – Rudy Gobert, C, France

The Nuggets are happy with the young core of players they have now and won’t mind stashing Gobert overseas until he can contribute. He’s far away from that point now but after a few years of development, Gobert has the chance to be a dominant shot blocker thanks to his 7’9” wingspan.

28.  San Antonio Spurs – Lucas Noguiera, C, Brazil

The Spurs love drafting foreign talent and letting it develop before coming to the NBA and contributing. Look for that trend to continue here as the Spurs take Noguiera to replace Tim Duncan and play alongside fellow countryman Tiago Splitter in a few years.

29.  Oklahoma City Thunder – Jeff Withey, C, Kansas

Despite adding a center already, the Thunder draft another one who specializes on the other side of the ball. With little to no upside, Withey is no more than a shot blocking insurance policy should Serge Ibaka get injured.

30.  Phoenix Suns (from Miami) – Erick Green, G, Virginia Tech

The Suns nabbed Anthony Bennett earlier in the first round and look here for a scorer in the backcourt. Green lead the nation in scoring last season and could be a nice spark plug off the bench for a Phoenix team that currently starts underwhelming PJ Tucker at the 2.

Khalif Wyatt is Worth the Gamble

By Aron Minkoff

The reigning Atlantic 10 and Big 5 player of the year, Khalif Wyatt is ready for the NBA Draft tonight, however he has been left off of most experts mock drafts.  Wyatt averaged 20.5 points in the 2012-2013 regular season while leading the Owls to the third round of the NCAA tournament, and one Victor Oladipo shot away from the Sweet 16.

Throughout the season Wyatt proved himself capable of running with the best of them.  Wyatt has been matched up with potential NBA players such as, Victor Oladipo, Ben Mclemore and Seth Curry.  In the NCAA tournament Wyatt scored 31 points against both North Carolina State and Indiana University.  The 6’4 guard proved himself to be one of the most clutch players in the country, leading the Owls to numerous wins in the closing seconds of the game.

Wyatt possess a crafty arsenal, while he is not the quickest player on the court he is able to change his tempo at an instant and is able to find a way towards the hoop.  It appears as if he has every possible move in his bag of tricks and when you put that with his fairly accurate jump shot, he is pretty hard for college teams to find an answer to.

Now there are numerous examples of college success not equaling pro success, Adam Morrison and Sean May just to name a couple.  Wyatt is only 6’4 and does not possess the quickness necessary of a point guard.  He does not have the flawless jump shot necessary of a shooting guard.  But what Wyatt does have is heart and the will to succeed.

Wyatt impressed many with his tough play and would surely be a nice guy to have on any NBA team.  I think that he would fit in very nicely with the Philadelphia 76ers.  Playing a few miles south of Temple’s campus and 30 minutes away from his hometown of Norristown, PA, Wyatt would help energize a Sixers fan base that has had little to be excited about in recent times.  While I do not think that the Sixers should draft Wyatt as high as 42, they could trade for a later pick and scoop him up at the end of the draft.

Khalif Wyatt has done it all for the Temple Owls, he deserves a chance to prove himself and shine in the NBA.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Giancarlo Stanton

By Aron Minkoff

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates were rumored to be the potential landing spot for Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins via trade.  The 23 year-old power hitter is potentially on the trade market and could prove to be a valuable asset for the Pirates who rank last in the National League in OPS out of right field.  Stanton has been the object of numerous rumors recently and the Pirates are just the latest team to be tossed into consideration.

The price for Stanton is going to be high as he is under contract through the 2016 season.  So who would the Pirates potentially give up in exchange for Stanton?  Highly touted prospects Jameson Tallion and Gregory Polanco as well as Tony Sanchez are rumored to be possibilities in the trade.  Tallion, a 21 year-old pitcher was the number two overall pick of the 2010 MLB draft, and is considered by many to be a top 20 prospect in all of baseball.  Polanco, a 21 year-old outfielder was a foreign singing and is considered to be a top 60 prospect in all of baseball.  Both are currently stationed in AA Altoona.  Tony Sanchez is a 25 year-old catcher who has put together a pretty nice season in AAA this season which led to his call-up to the Majors on Friday.

With Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh’s top prospect, in the Majors, the Pirates top two minor league prospects are Tallion and Polanco.  Parting ways with both players would be quite a price to pay.  This brings us to the question: Is Stanton worth it?

Stanton is no doubt a rare talent. At the age of 23 he already has 100 career home runs and threatens to go deep in every at bat.  However, Stanton is highly injury prone, having spent a large portion of his career on the disabled list, missing over 80 games in the last two seasons. 

I say do it.  The Pirates need to win now.  The Pirates cannot afford another losing season and seem to have a lot of necessary tools to be a successful team.  Adding another bat for a few years would immediately make them playoff contenders.  They have enough young pieces in Alen Hanson, Josh Bell and Gerrit Cole, that if they give up a few marquee prospects they will still be in great shape for the long term.  In addition, if the Pirates deem him to be too costly to resign when his contract runs out, they can always trade him for a few premier prospects and not lose too much.

The time is now for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  They need to seize the moment and make a trade like this that makes sense.  This is the year for the Pittsburgh Pirates.